Rulers and great ones of the world have been and are enemies to his Kingdome yet to keep things in a civil order Christ would have Rule and Authority for the present But there is a time coming when his people shall bee made so subâ—ect as they shall have no need of these things but Christ will put them all down here in the world and himself onely shall Reign so you have it in the book of the Revelations chap. 11. vers 15. That there were gâ—eat voyces in heaven saying The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and hee shall Reign for ever and ever For that it seems Christ hath not yet taken his Power had not then neither hath hee since But there is a time coming for the Kingdomes of the earth to bee the Lords and his Christs in another way than now they are 18 And then the last of all Christ is such a King as hee doth in a spiritual sense make all his Subjects Kings hee hath a Crown of glory for every Subject for every one of those that are his Subjects in that near relation as hee is King of Saints I say hee will put Crowns of glory upon them all you have it in Rev. 5.10 And hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and wee shall Reign on the earth not onely in heaven but on the earth Why now how wonderful is Christ in this his Kingly power that hee is able to make every Subject that hee hath a King and hee will do it Now then If wee should put all these together that have been named you see how wonderful Christ is in his Kingly Power 1 Hee is high above all King of Kings Lord of Lords 2 Hee is an universal King over all the World a heavenly King over Angels yea over Powers over the Devils themselves 3 It is hee that makes his Subjects not they him 4 His Subjects are for him and not hee for them 5 Hee alone is able to make Laws for his Church 6 Hee hath absolute Sovereignty 7 His Laws do binde conscience 8 Hee rules in the hearts of men 9 Hee hath perfect knowledge of all his Saints and all their conditions 10 Hee is present in all Administrations 11 Hee is the KING of Righteousness and of Peace 12 Hee hath no need of any Instrument to do any thing 13 Hee over-rules all the plots counsels endeavours of his enemies 14 Hee was not onely born to bee a King but hee dyed to bee King 15 Hee is an everlasting King his Kingdome endures from Generation to Generation 16 Hee sits upon his Fathers Throne as equal with him 17 And will certainly subdue all enemies and will put down all Rule and all Power 18. And will put a Crown of glory upon every one of his Subjects This is our King Rejoyce therefore oh Daughter of Zion for thy King cometh Oh did wee but apprehend these things by faith that wee have to do with Christ as such a King certainly our hearts could not bee troubled whatsoever stirs there are in the world whatsoever Kings and Princes do in the world yet when wee look up to this King and by faith make all this real to our souls Oh what matter of infinite joy is it I beseech you do not think that these are notions that I speak unto you those that exercise their faith aright upon Christ they exercise their faith upon him as such a King You say you do beleeve in Jesus Christ In Christ Why what do you mean by Jesus Christ Why you will say hee was the Son of God But what is further Christ that is Anointed Anointed to what to King Priest and Prophet King what kinde of King Here I have presented to you what kinde of King Jesus Christ is Anointed by the Father And thus must you present him before your souls when you exercise your faith upon him Certainly there are few people that know what it is to exercise their faith upon Christ because they never knew Christ to be thus Well might the Psalmist say Psal 97.1 The Lord Reigneth let the earth rejoyce let the multitude of Isles bee glad thereof Oh it is well for us that the Lord Reigneth certainly did not Jesus Christ reign in his Church yea did not hee reign in the world all things would come to confusion presently Were it possible that such a handful as his Church that is a despised company a poor people that lives in the world and is so hated by the world and all the Devils in hell and their instruments which do labour to extirpate them and yet that they should continue certainly it is because the Lord Reigns and so orders aâ—â— things that seems to bee against his Church for the good of his Church otherwise it could not continue in the world Oh let the earth rejoyce because the Lord doth Reign And again in Psal 99.1 mark there what use is made of Christs Kingly power The Lord Reigneth let the people tremble Oh the Lord Reigneth let the people tremble certainly all wicked and ungodly men that are Rebels against this King they have cause to tremble such men as say of Christ Wee will not have this man to reign over us they have cause to tremble for the Lord Christ will overcome them certainly his Garments shall bee dyed in blood and what will become of them when hee shall come to take his Kingdome to himself Moreover Those mine enemies that would not have mee to Reign over them come and bring them and slay them before my face All wicked and ungodly men in their sins they do as if they should say thus wee will not have this man to Reign over us thou who doest cast off Jesus Christ as a King certainly thou canst not expect good from him as a Saviour Christs Priestly Office Now for the second thing and that is the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ Christ is wonderful in that hee is a great High Priest In Heb. 4.14 Christ is there called a Great High Priest Seeing then that wee have a Great High Priest that is passed into the heavens And so in Heb. 7.26 For such an High Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners and made higher than the Heavens A great High Priest a High Priest made higher than the Heavens this is the High Priest that we have which we are to exercise our faith upon 1 Hee hath a Royal Priest-hood for it is joyned with Kingly Power and therefore Melchisedeck was his type Hee was not after the Order of Aaron but hee was after the Order of Melchisedeck because it is a Royal Priest-hood and so the Saints are called a Royal Priesthood And Melchisedeck is said to bee without Father or Mother the meaning is Hee was not so as hee was a man for hee had Father and Mother beginning and end but in his typical relation hee was so they were concealed to
bee lost And here for the present every man and womans soul in the world by nature is a lost soul First Every man and woman as they come into the world are deprived of the glory and excellency that God did indow the souls of men withall in their first creation wee are all deprived of the glory of God saith the Scripture And secondly All our souls do now naturally wander away from God continually depart and wander from the infinite glorious first-being of all things Thou that art an old man or woman that hast lived many years and God hath not revealed himself in working the true work of conversion in thee to change thy estate know that thy soul hath been departing and wandring from the Lord all the dayes of thy life to this very present thou art like a lost sheep wandring up and down in the wilderness and in danger to bee destroyed every minute of an hour by some wilde beast or other though it is true thy soul is not made a prey to the Devil so as to destroy thee utterly yet thou hast been in danger all the while thou hast been wandring from the Lord to bee made a prey upon by the Devil and utterly to have been cast away Yea and thirdly There is a great deal of misery upon thy soul if thou knewest it as contrary to that light that hee hath set up in thy understanding there is blindness in thee there is errour in thee contrary to that holiness that was at first in thy heart and soul there is nothing but sin and wickedness all the spauns and seeds of all kinde of sin is in thy heart there is a great deal of that evil that is contrary to what thy soul was made withall at first there is enmity in thy soul against God himself Yea and fourthly Thy soul is in a succourless helpless shiftless condition in respect of what thou art able to do or what all the creatures in heaven or earth are able to do for thee let all the Angels in heaven and men in the world joyn together to seek to do good to thy soul they are not able to deliver thy soul from that evil that now it is in and that it is in further danger of And this is the reason of that phrase that you have in Luke 19.10 The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost Wee are all lost sheep going astray and Jesus Christ came to seek and to save lost souls Souls deprived of the glory of God Souls wandring away from God Souls filled with evil Souls succourless and helpless in regard of any power in any creature in heaven and earth to save them Christ beholding how such precious souls were every one of them lost if hee had not come to save them hee was pleased to come from heaven to seek and to save souls thus lost Now though souls bee for the present in a lost condition yet there is a further loss of the soul than this for if the soul be neglected here it will bee lost forever there are many that are lost now for the present and yet afterwards Christ findes them and there is joy in heaven at the finding of them but there is a loss that shall bee eternal and that loss is more dreadful than the former yet the former hath the degree of it but that the perfection of the former Now the loss of the soul in hell consists in these three particulars First The full and perfect eternal rejection of the soul from God and from all good in him together with the fulness of all kinde of evil that the soul is capable of this is the condition of a lost soul that perishes Secondly And then in the next place it consists in the making of this soul to bee perfectly sensible of the loss of that good and of all the evil it is possest withall making of it perfectly sensible of it Here men and women are in lost conditions but they know it not they are not sensible of it But God will bring the soul into such a condition as it shall bee made perfectly sensible of the loss of all the good that it might have had and of all the evil that is upon it Thirdly And then lastly It shall bee in such a condition so succourless so helpless as is not onely beyond the power of Angels and all men to help it but I say so succourless so lost as that Gods mercy and all the good there is in Christ shall never save it and as God hath set and ordered things can never save it Now then these things being opened to you you will understand what this Text means When you read this Text you think there may bee truth in it and in general you will â—ssent unto it but if you come to understand but these things then indeed you cannot but all subscribe to it and acknowledge Oh it is indeed a dreadful thing the loss of the soul But now because it is a point of so great moment I will not satisfie my self meerly in telling you these things but endeavour to open them unto you what the evil of this loss is that if it might bee by presenting this before the souls of men they may see more the danger that they are in and how the Devil hath gulled and deceived them all this while It may make many souls to bee at a stand if they come to know what this loss indeed doth mean Now I shall endeavour the opening of this in the three last particulars that I named First For the rejection of the soul from God so as to bee deprived of all the good there is in God and that it is capable of Now for the understanding of the evil of this wee must inquire what is that good that the souls of men are capable of or else wee cannot come to understand what an evil thing it is to lose it Now for the good that the soul is capable of I will but onely name some heads unto you for in a Treatise that some of you have in your hands of Moses looking to the recompense of reward there are the principal heads of the good and excellency that the soul is capable of and shall bee blessed in heaven eternally with And the apprehending the loss of these things will discover much The first part of the evil of the loss of the soul I will but in a very brief way present them unto you Why the Glory of God upon the soul the Image of God the Life of God the Divine nature that the soul is capable of Now for the soul never to live the Life of God nor to have his Image nor any of the Glory of Gold upon it this is a fearful evil to those that know the excellency of these things of the blessed vision of God in heaven to see him that is the infinite first-being of all things to see him as hee
world that knew him not that had no interest in him and the like and then was promised Therefore seeing there are so many poor wretched creatures so many Families that live without a God in the world that know nothing of him and live as if they expected nothing from him and fear no evil to come from him at all therefore wee promised to labour to set forth before you somewhat of God that might help you to know him to shew you what hee is And to that end turn to that Scripture Psal 148. part of the 13. verse For his Name alone is excellent Text. THis Psalm is a Psalm of praise praising of God for all the glorious manifestations of himself in his great Works and calling upon all creatures to praise him because hee is glorious in every creature but the Psalmist rests not in this in praising God for the glory of him that appears in the creatures but hee riseâ— higher and takes indeed the rise from thence to praise and bless God for what there is in himself above that which doth appear in any creature For so it is clear that to this the Psalmist doth arise in my Text Let them praise the name of the Lord for his name alone is excellent his glory is above the Earth and Heaven The Earth and Heaven and all creatures therein are called to praise Gods name and David praises the name of God for what appeared there but saith hee Praise the Lord for his Name alone is excellent and his glory is above the Earth and Heaven His Name the Name of God is either taken for God himself or for the manifestation of God often in Scripture for God himself Prov. 18.10 as The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the righteous run unto it and are safe that is God himself Hee is the strength and Tower hee is the object of the trust of his people and so other Scriptures or otherwise that whereby God may bee known Psal 76.1 His Name is great in Israel And here we are to understand both for his Name alone is excellent that is God himself is excellent alone the Name of him of him alone is high is lifted up is excellent and that wee are to understand by the Name of God here God himself as well as his Manifestations appears in the words at the end of the verse His glory is above the earth and heaven Now Gods manifestation is either in heaven or earth But there is a further glory of God that is in himself that is beyond all that is or can bee manifested in or to any creature so that from the words thus opened there are these two doctrinal Points one I wil but only touch it is raised from the connexion of the words with the former and the other that is the substance of the Text that wee shall abide a while upon The first is this That a gracious heart is not satisfied with praising God onely for his works but rises higher to praise him and especially to praise him for himself for that that it sees in himself I say a gracious heart doth not stick in the Works of God nor is it onely inlarged to praise God for what it sees in Gods works but it will rise higher than all the works of God and praise him especially for that it sees in himself Thy self O Lord is excellent the glory that is in thy self it is above the earth and above the heaven While wee praise God for what wee see in his works our thoughts and hearts are limited for Gods manifestations of himself are finite and so there is not that spaciousness that a gracious heart desires to let our its self in but when it can rise up to God himself and look at the infinite excellency that there is in himself above all that doth appear in his works then the heart inlarged with grace can expatiate it self to the uttermost and that is that which doth delight him then is a gracious heart indeed in its own element when it is expatiating it self even in God himself And further God in setting himself before the soul in way of Covenant Jer. 31.33.32.39.24.7 Ezek. 11 2â— Gen. 15.1 hee doth not onely tell those that hee takes into Covenant that hee will do such and such things for them but hee would have them to close with himself I will bee your God The Lord told Abraham that hee would bee his exceeding great reward but that would not satisfie Abraham What wilt thou give mee Vers 2. having an eye to Christ and the enjoyment of God in him so let God say that hee will do never such things for a gracious heart that is not enough except God himself bee the portion of the soul the soul cannot bee satisfied with any thing that God doth if God should say to one whose heart he hath inlarged with grace I will give thee all the world to possess thou shalt have all the glory all the pomp all the sweetness all the comforts in the world nay more than that I will make ten thousand worlds more and give thee them all and they shall have all of them more excellency than this present world hath why all this would not satisfie a heart inlarged with grace for the portion of it though such a one sees its self unworthy of the least crum of bread yet it cannot bee satisfied with all the world what then will satisfie him onely God himself for so God propounds himse f unto his people in way of Covenant Psal 16.5 I will bee thy God I will bee your portion And upon this those that are in Covenant with him though they do rejoyce to see God manifesting himself in all his Names they bless God for the beholding so much as they do of him in his works but the thing that their hearts are most upon is God himself the excellency that there is in God above all his works And as it is in praising God so also it is in other workings of the heart towards God as now grace doth not love God so much for what God gives to it as for what God is himself that is the difference between true sanctifying grace and common grace common grace may make mee love God for what I receive from him oâ— for what I hope to receive from him but sanctifying grace makes mee to love God for what is in himself more than for what I receive from him or expect to receive and so there may bee the fear of God for some works of God when God doth manifest his power and dreadfulness in his works in thundring or lightening then the heart of a sinner may fear God though there bee no grace but now where there is grace such a one fears God more because of that excellency hee sees in God himself than from any dreadful works of God and this would bee a good rule to try your selves by You say you
for that is the work wee are about to shew you what a God you have to deal withall in all your wayes the Name of God is excellent Read that Chapter and you will finde Gods Name set out as excellent indeed there But that is the first In the second place God hee is a present being I am saith hee that is God injoyes himself that infinite being of himself altogether there is no succession at all in the being of God as there is in other creatures the creature injoyes but little of its own being I beseech you consider the difference between God and the creature in this when I say hee is a present being that is set forth in the words I am I say the creature injoyes but very little of its own being why because whatsoever is past it cannot injoy and whatsoever is to come it injoyes not now all that it doth injoy of it self it is only what it hath at an instant this present instant what it hath that it may be said to be but now with God there is nothing past there is nothing to come there is nothing past I say in respect of Gods beeing there is nothing to come but his beeing is alwayes present he alwayes saith I am therefore Christ speaking of his Divine Nature in John 8.58 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith hee Before Abraham was I am Christ doth not say I was before Abraham was no but before Abraham was I am Certainly this had been no good English to have spoken of any creature If any man should say thus Before such a thing was I am if any Angel should say so this were no proper speech but Christ saith so Before Abraham was I am because Christ in regard of his Divine Nature hath no succession of beeing at all wee cannot say that God hath so many years added to him since the world began God was as eternal before the world was as hee is now or ever shall bee it cannot bee said that hee was not will bee but alwayes it may be said I am I am was and will bee the difference of time it is in respect of the creature not in respect of God and that is the reason of those phrases in Scripture That a thousand years with God are â—s one day 2 Pet. 3.8 and one day as a thousand years There is no difference of time with God at all And that is the second thing therefore hee alone is excellent Thirdly This beeing of God it is in all places His excellency it is every where throughout the world and that first Not virtually onely God is not in every place onely virtually by his power Enter praesenter Deus hic ubique potenter that is hee works in every place but hee is in every place essentially Secondly God is not in every place by motion from one place to another and so gradually is in all places but God is every moment in every place Thirdly God is not in every place to fill heaven and earth Deus est nullibi inclusive sed ubique secundum existentiam that is one part in one place and another in another as a great thing that fills such a room one part is in one place and another is in another but God fills heaven and earth that is all of God is every where all that God is is in every place Yea further Centrum ubique circumferentia nullibi God is as much beyond every place as hee is in every place hee is as much beyond the circumference of the heavens and the earth as hee is in them yea if God should make ten thousand worlds more hee would fill all those as well as hee doth this without any motion at all hee would not move from one place to another to fill up ten thousand worlds if there were so many new ones made but in the same instant in which they were all made that immense being of his would fill up all Surely God is a most excellent Being then above all other things whatsoever Fourthly for I intend but meerly to present the chief things of the excellency of God before you and not to stand handling of these at large for every one of them might require a large tractate but now onely to present before you what a God it is that you have to deal with God is a Being that is All-sufficient in himself Hee stands in no need of any creature in Acts 17.25 verse Hee hath need of nothing of none of us hee hath enough within himself before the world was God was as blessed in himself as now hee is there can bee nothing added to him there is such an excellency even in Gods being its self that there can be nothing added to him wee are poor creatures that stand in need of a thousand things continually the air to breathe in the earth to bear us fire to warm us cloaths to cover us meat and drink a thousand things wee stand in need of the meanest creature and if God should take away the use of some mean contemptible creature our lives would bee made miserable to us but that is the excellency of Gods being that hee hath need of nothing hee hath all within himself all the creatures in heaven and earth cannot adde to him no if there were ten thousand worlds more although God did possess them all yet they would not adde one whit unto what is in God himself therefore though the Lord hath made the heaven and earth God hath an essential and an attributed glory his attributed glory is augmented or diminished by mans obedience or disobedience therefore sinners are said to rob God of his glory and Saints to give him glory but his essential glory cannot bee increased or diminished and all things therein yet wee must not think that God is ever a whit the better for these things or hath the more glory hee had as much glory and blessedness in himself as now hee hath or can have when all the Angels and Saints shall bee eternally blessing God in heaven yet they can adde nothing to Gods glory Wee say the Sun is a glorious creature but doth that adde any light to the Sun so for Saints and Angels to bee praising and blessing God what doth that adde to God And in this the Name of God is excellent 5 But further in the fifth place His Name alone is excellent in this thing that his excellency is universal that is all excellencies that are in all creatures in heaven and earth they are all in him virtually and eminently hee hath them all in his own being Psal 94.9 Shall not hee that made the ear hear hee that formed the eye shall not hee see the argument there will confirm this to us that whatsoever is in the creature that hath any excellency in it that excellency is in God in an eminent way the creature one hath one drop of excellency and another hath another
other creature in this or the other manner So God is the fountain of all good to all creatures whatsoever they are to look upon him as having all coming from him And therefore hee alone is excellent and his glory is above the Heavens and Earth 14 Further As all things are from him so they depend upon him all excellencies that are in the creature as they come from God so they have their absolute dependency upon God so as God need do nothing to destroy a creature if hee doth but withdraw himself from it it falls to nothing presently take the most glorious Angels and the highest Heavens Sun Moon Stars Sea and Earth if God should but withdraw his hand from these creatures they would presently fall down to nothing they do depend upon God as the light upon the Sun there is no more light if the beams of the Sun bee withdrawn so if God withdraw his influence from the creature it can do nothing and it s nothing presently so that the influence that there is from God to the creature it is to maintain the creature in his being every moment the Lord must put forth as infinite a power to maintain thee and mee and every creature as hee did at the first for the making of the world Heb. 1.3 And this is Gods excellency to uphold all things they do so depend upon him If a work-man make a house hee goes away the house can stand without him but when God built the world the world could not stand one moment without him And not onely God must have an influence into the creature to preserve the being but likewise to inable the creature to act the creature cannot act one moment without God no creature can stir in the least degree Act. 17.28 except the Lord concur with it Therefore the Name of God alone is excellent By him saith the Scripture wee live wee move wee have our being not onely wee are upheld in our being and lives but wee move wee cannot stir one moment but God must concur with his creature for the motion and action of it 15 Further God alone is excellent in his operation in his power in the manner of his working though God give a power to other creatures to work yet God works in a different way from all other creatures First God hee doth whatsoever hee pleases either in heaven or earth The will of God as I shewed you before it cannot bee beyond Gods power God cannot will to do more than hee hath power to do Psal 115.3 Psal 135.6 Eccles 8.3 Therefore the Lord hee doth whatsoever hee pleases in heaven and earth The power of every creature can but work within the sphere so far as the causes give a vertue and efficacy so far it is able to work and no further Secondly The power of God appears in this that the Lord doth the greatest and the most difficult things as easily as hee doth the least and the easiest as thus God makes the whole world as easily as hee can make a crum of dirt God can make the Heavens Sun Moon and Stars and all the Seas and Earth with as much ease as hee can make a flye God can make ten thousand Angels as soon as hee can make one worm And therefore God hee can as soon speak the word to the soul of a man that is dead Joh. 5.25 to live hee can as soon raise aâ—l the dead out of their graves as hee can give them a peece of bread to eat while they are alive such is the infiniteness of Gods operation 3 Further God is excellent in all that hee doth There is nothing that God doth in any time but was decreed to bee done from eternity that is the excellency of Gods working the creature works something but perhaps a man did not think of what hee doth a few dayes ago but God doth nothing nor never will do any thing but it is that that was decreed from all eternity that hee would do and God will never do any thing to all eternity but what hee had decreed from all eternity before yet it is for us creatures to observe according to his revealed will but this is the excellency of God above all creatures whatever 4 And then there is a further thing that is as considerable as any of the other God is so far from needing any matter to work upon or instrument to work by when he doth do anything as there is no more required for any creature to bee or work at any time when God would have it but the alone act of Gods will that was from eternity As now the world it was not made six thousand years ago Now God willed from all eternity that there should bee a world in time and there was nothing required to make this world but that act of Gods will that was from all eternity that it should bee at that time Man hee doth will and decree to do such a thing now when the time comes then hee bestirs himself and takes this tool or instrument and puts forth a power that hee did not put forth before But the act of Gods will from all eternity was sufficient to make all creatures that ever since have been made and to provide for all creatures that ever since have been provided for one act of Gods will hath done all this and that act of the will of God that hath been from all eternity hath done it there are not several acts of Gods will but Gods act is himself Divers other things might bee shewed as this 5 Where God hath done any work all his works adde nothing to him The creature hath somewhat added to him by his works as thus A man that is a work-man hee can make a house and so hee hath the benefit of it to dwell in to keep off the weather and so hee makes cloath and hath the benefit of it But all the works of God adde nothing to him A man can do something by the work that hee hath made that hee could not do without his work but God can do nothing by any work that hee hath made but hee can do the same without that work when hee hath made all his works they are not helpful to him but this was a branch of the All-sufficiency of God 16 In the next place God alone is excellent in the manner of his communication of himself God doth so communicate himself to his creatures as one creature cannot to another First God can let out as much of himself as hee will to any creature now one creature cannot let out as much as hee pleases to another for instance A man that hath learning hee cannot make another as learned as hee will a man that hath holiness and goodness cannot make another as holy and as good as hee will but God can this is Gods propriety hee can let out of himself as much as hee pleases as much holiness as much
are undeâ— him to govern and to judge and to make use of for the good of his Church Hee is not onely the governour of the World universally but a heavenly King even the Angels themselves are under him Thrones and Principalities and Dominions in Eph. 1.20 They are all brought into one under Christ yea and the Devils themselves are under him It is hee that hath the Keyes of Heaven and the Keyes of Hell Rev. 1.18 Hee that was dead is alive and hath the Keyes of Hell and Death And this Kingly Power of Christ must needs bee wonderful 3 But further in the third place Christ is wonderful in this his Kingly Power for hee makes his Subjects his Subjects do not make him Col. 1.16 By him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth There is no King that ever was in the World but either God from heaven doth tell people that hee would have such a one to bee a King or hee is made by the peopâ—e For what is one mans flesh more than another mans I say at first men they agree together to set up such a man or family to have a Kingly Power so that the Kingly power of the Family and of every one that comes of that Family it is by the people at first none must plead it to bee by conquest for then whosoever can conquer again hee must bee King if another can conquer hee must have right too if that bee the onely right if that were the onely right that a King had over his people conquest then as hee had his right over the people by conquest so if the people conquer him then they have right Certainly the best right of all the Kings of the earth this day it must bee by the first compact with that Family that is their right I but our King that wee have to do withall hee makes his Subjects they make not him King but this King makes all his Subjects Indeed if Kings could give being to their Subjects then their right were another kinde of right than now they have but the truth is Subjects do give being to their King I but our King the Lord Christ hee is Wonderful a Wonderful King in this because hee doth give being to all his Subjects 4 And then fourthly The Subjects of thâ—s King are for him hee is not for them whereas it is otherwise between man and man certainly the Subjects are not made for the King but the King is made for his Subjects a Kingdome is not made for a King but a King for the Kingdome But it is otherwise here Christ was not made for us but wee were made for him all the Subjects of Christ were made for the honour of Jesus Christ and Christ I say was not set up King for them 5 And then fifthly This King Jesus Christ is King in another manner than any other Kings upon the eaâ—th foâ— it is hee alone that makes Laws other Kings have not power themselves to make Laws but together with their people but hee alone makes Laws It is true the Kings of Israel they made not the people joyn with them in all their Laws because God himself let Laws there for the government of the Commonwealth But Jesus Christ I say hee is the onely Law-giver unto his Church and therefore there can bee no new Ordinances nor no new Laws nor no new Officers in the Church that can bee invented by man It is true in the Civil state there God leaves to humane prudence and wee may invent Laws and humane Ordinances and new Officers so as may bee good for the Church one Kingdome one kinde of Law and another another But now when wee come to speak of Christs Kingly Power especially as it hath reference to the Church there as hee is King of Saints there are no Ordinances nor no Laws nor no officers that can bee newly erected but it must bee the same and it must bee the same in all Churches in the World the same Laws must rule all and the same Ordinances and the same Church-officers there must bee no additions of any Why because that in Spiritual government there wee wait upon God for his presence wee wait upon the presence of Christ to work spiritually upon the soul and wee expect a spiritual efficacy from Jesus Christ upon our souls to draw us nearer to him and to draw him near to us that wee do in all Church Ordinances and therefore onely Christ can appoint Laws for them You will say an there bee no Laws no nothing added in the Church for way of decency and order and such kinde of things To that I answer briefly thus There are some things that do belong to those spiritual Ordinances things that are in the Church that may bee helpful to them in a natural way as now if congregations meet they must meet in some place they must have civil order in their meeting there may bee some things civil and natural subservient unto those things that are spiritual but that that is properly Ecclesiastical whereby I vvait upon Jesus Christ to have my heart dravvn nearer to him or to have him dravv nearer to mee therein there must bee no addition of men in any Law whatsoever but onely the things of Christ that are meerly spiritual if there bee any natural help or civil help as wee that are men cannot bee exeâ—cised in things that are spiritual without some natural and civil helps there certainly the prudence of man may come in but this cannot come to set up any new Ordinances or set up any new Officers in the Church or make any new Laws that shall concern the spiritual Worship of God to work my heart in a spiritual way to God or God unto mee here lyes the evil of mans inventions when there shall bee any inventions of man that shall come instead of a spiritual Ordinance that shall bee set by mans Institution and have more put upon it than it hath in a natural and civil way to bee helpful why then it comes to bee superstition I say when any thing is set by man in the worship of God that shall have more in it than that that is natural or civil to help then it comes to bee sinful and wicked When I think that by any thing of mans appointment God shall come nearer to mee or my heart shall bee drawn nearer to God by vertue of any Institution of man here is the very proper nature of Institution As for instance Some thing that is natural or civil to help Gods worship that man may appoint but nothing that is spiritual to draw my heart nearer to God or God nearer to mee As thus If the Church of God meet together for Ordinances it must meet in some place this is a natural help to have a convenient meeting-place to have a place to keep them from the air or rain or wind this is natural but if it go one step
higher than naturalness of the place If I shall make this place by the consecration of man to bee used as an Ordinance to draw mee nearer to God or God nearer to mee that is to think that my prayers in that place are more acceptable than in another that because I perform services in that place it shall bee more accepted Here I say man raises it higher than natural and puts a Divine Institution upon it and so it comes to bee sinful and so now you may come to know what the meaning is when wee say that Christ only can make Lawes for his Church and Officers for his Church Why because whatsoever is spiritual it must bee only by the Authority of Jesus Christ this great King of his Church 6 And then Sixthly Christ is a wonderful King in this that his Soveraignty is absolute which no Kings power is though they have great power in the world yet they have not an absolute power to doe what they list and certainly no Subjects are bound so farre to the humours of men that they shall doe what they list there is no absolute power that one man hath over another bur the power that Jesus Christ hath is absolute an absolute Kingly power his Will it is the Law no mans will in the World is sufficient to be a law but the will of this King it is sufficient 7 And then in the Seventh place hee hath power to bind Conscience his Laws are such as lay obligations and bonds upon the Consciences of men no Law that would be made by all the Angels in heaven could lay bonds upon conscience but the Lavv only of Jesus Christ all the Lavves that men can make must receive their povver and authority especially from the end of them and therefore if they should not conduce unto that end for vvhich God sets up Magistracy over men that is for the good of the place then the rule vvill hold that if there be not scandal or contempt there is no obligation upon a mans conscience meerly because it is the will of man But now the Lavves of Christ vvhatsoever they are they lay bonds upon consciences and if I doe offend them never so secretly I stand as guilty before the great God and that is the seventh thing 8 And then in the Eighth place Christs Kingly power it reaches to mens hearts I must not as I goe along enter into the large opening of any thing that may be controversal but meerly present vvhat at large might be opened to you about the Kingly povver of Christ I say Christs Kingly povver is vvonderful in this in that it rules over the hearts of men as vvell as their consciences Christ by his povver is able to subue the vvills of men and bring their hearts to obedience to him all the power there is in the World cannot doe this vvhy the Kings of the earth if they vvere put all together they could not subdue the heart of any one poor man in the world the will of the poorest Creature in the world cannot be subdued by all the powers of all the Potentates and Emperours upon the face of the earth they may beat his body or torter his body or kill his body but to subdue his heart to make his soul to bee subject and obedient to them that I say all the powers of all the Potentates in the world nay all the Angels in heaven cannot doe it the will of a man or woman is such that all the Angels in heaven cannot bring it down only God himself you many times say you will break the will of such a one that is you will make them not to doe such a thing but you are never able to break their wills Kings may prevail over their subjects to make them to doe what they would have them doe and their Estates and Liberties may come to be at their dispose but all this while it may be he hath never a one of their hearts and that is but a very mean kind of Kingly power only to rule over men by fear and they not to love him But now Christ in his Church he hath never a subject that is truly under his Kingly power but he rules his very will and hath never a subject but loves him where Christ doth rule Spiritually in the hearts of his people though they were never so stubborn and rebellious before yet when Christ comes and brings them under his power hee brings their wills and their hearts to him and that is the glory of the Kingly power of Christ 9 And then in the Ninth place Christ is a wonderful King in this that he hath the perfect knowledge of all his Subjects and of their wants alas Kings and Princes in great States they know but very few Subject that they have but now Jesus Christ takes notice of every subject that is in his Kingdom and knowes all their thoughts and all their vvayes and all their vvants all their conditions he knovves them all perfectly Oh this is the glory of this King and vvonderful is hee in his Kingly povver in this 10 Hee is present vvith them all in all the Administration of Justice the King hee cannot administer Justice but hee must use Instruments to doe it and hee cannot bee present alvvayes but Jesus Christ hee is alvvayes present in the Administration of vvhat ever is administred to any of his Subjects he stands by and looks upon them all 11 Christ is such a King as he hath no need of any Instruments at all hee may make use of them sometimes but he hath no need of any Kings can doe but very little vvithout some Instruments vvhat can a King doe for the ruling of a Kingdom but vvith such and such Instruments But Jesus Christ is vvonderful in his Kingly povver in that hee hath no need of any Instruments for the administration of any Justice but he can doe it all immediately himself if he pleases 12 Christ is glorious in his Kingly power in this that he doth over-rule all the plots and counsels of all the enemies of his Subjects for the furtherance of the glory of his Kingdome and the good of his Subjects now my brethren look upon these things as real and certainly by faith they are made real to the hearts of the Saints and they doe rejoyce in this if we had such kind of Governours that had power over all the plots and designs of the enemies what a happy condition would we think our selves to be in Now this is in our King the Lord Jesus Christ he hath power over all the plots and endeavours of all adversaries to work them all for the good of his Church 13 Further the Lord Christ is wonderful for his Kingly power in regard of his righteousnesse Thy scepter is a righteous scepter he is King of righteousnesse and so King of peace as Melchisedeck was It is a happy thing when people live under righteous Governours that they
from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. This Scripture hath very much in it hee speaks of the Gospel and compares that to a Glass wherein the glory of God shines so as wee may behold it with open face and so behold it as that we are changed into the very same image of it from glory to glory from one degree unto another Wee may behold the glory of God in the glass of the creature and never bee changed into the same image but when wee behold the glory of God in the glass of the Gospel wee then come to bee changed into the same Image and still to bee changed more and more and with open face wee do behold it And in chap. 4. vers 6. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Mark it hee is the knowledge of God the light of the knowledge of God and the light of the knowledge of the glory of God and all this is in the face of Jesus Christ in the face of the creature there may bee the knowledge of God but the light of the knowledge of the glory of God this is in the face of Jesus Christ Hee that hath seen mee hath seen the Father saith Christ to Philip It was a maxim among the Fathers in the time of the Law that no man could see God and live God was so glorious that they thought that hee could not bee seen but it would overwhelm any creature that was in the flesh that should see him but now mark in that Prophecy that wee have of the times of the Gospel in Isa 40.3 There is a Prophecie of Christ that is apparent The voice of him that cryeth in the wilderness prepare yee the way of the Lord which is in express words applied to John the Baptist the forerunner of Christ And in the very same words make streight in the Desart a high way for our God every valley shall bee exalted and every mountain shall bee made low and the crooked shall bee made streight and the rough places plain Then it follows in the fift verse And the glory of the Lord shall bee revealed and all flesh shall see it together before no man could see God and live Flesh was not able to behold God but now when the Word was made Flesh when the times of the Gospel came wherein God would make himself appear through his Son more clearly and fully now all Flesh shall see it shall see the glory of the Lord now the glory of God appears wonderfully in Christ in these four or five particulars The Power of God appears in Christ First The glory of Gods Attributes do shine more brightly in the face of Christ than any other wayes As for instance The power of God appears infinitely more in Christ than in making heaven and earth for God to unite God and man together in one Person is a greater work than making heaven and earth there is more power of God put forth in the hypostatical union of the Natures of Christ besides all the power of God that appears in the great Works that Christ did do and in carrying Christ through all those great Works that hee was carried through than in making of heaven and earth There is more power of God appears in the conversion of one soul to Christ than in making heaven and earth Then what power of God appears in Christ himself And the wisdome of God appears more in Christ than in the creation of heaven and earth The Wisdome of God appears in Christ Now for God to finde out such a glorious way of Reconciliation as hee hath found out in his Son in this the wisdome of God is more glorious than in all his works infinitely the glory of Gods wisdome in other things is darkned in comparison of his wisdome in this If God had put it to Angels to finde out a way of Reconciliation they could never have guest at such a way as this is that wee should bee reconciled in Christ here is the glory of wisdome There likewise doth appear the glory of Gods holiness more in Christ than in any other way it is true The Holiness of God appears in Christ the Law is a glass of Gods holiness and those that cast reproach upon the Law they spit in the very face of Gods holiness I but that is no such glass as Jesus Christ is there wee see the holiness of God in another manner than wee can do it in the holy Law that God hath made God never shewed his hatred of sin so much as hee did in Christ and it cannot bee devised by all Angels and men how it were possible to have such an Argument to manifest the hatred of sin so as it is manifested in Christ that God should deal so with his Son as hee hath done for the sin of man I say if an infinite Wisdome should set it self on work never so much to finde out an Argument to manifest the hatred of sin there could not bee a greater Argument So that when God sent his Son into the world to dye for mans sin hee did as it were say I have many wayes to manifest my holiness to the children of men how infinitely I do hate sin but here is a way that it shall appear to the uttermost they shall see it in my dealing with my Son certainly in Christ Gods wisdome hath found out an Argument to make us all to bee convinced of the infinite holiness of God that God hates sin more than hell its self and that wee should do so too Again the Justice of God appears in Christ more than in any thing else It appears not so much in all the torments of the damned as in Gods dealings with Christ The Justice of God appears in Christ in that hee required such satisfaction from him as hee did when as wee hear of the dreadful curses of the Law and of the torments that are in hell wee may thereby be put in minde of an infinite Justice Oh how righteous is God in his wayes there and his Justice seems to bee wonderful unto us But when you behold in this red glass of the blood of Christ Gods Justice it is a great deal more glorious here than in all the damned in hell If God should grant to any of you to stand upon the very brink of hell and there to look into the pit and see all the torments and tortures there and hear all the cries there then you think your hearts would bee affected with the Justice of God to fear it I but when God makes himself known to you in Christ when you hear of the sufferings of Christ for sin God would have you to bee more affected with his Justice and to fear it more than if you saw all the Torments of hell
it is but a dissolution hee rather desired a dissolution that hee might bee with Christ which is best of all Certainly it was this that made the streight If I dye I shall bee with Christ immediately and if I live I shall injoy some communion with him and likewise do a great deal of service for him If Paul had thought that his soul and body should have dyed both together certainly hee would have desired to have lived rather than to dye for when hee did live his soul did injoy communion with Jesus Christ and hee did do abundance of service for him Now is it possible to think that a man that did so much service for Christ as ever man did and that injoyed so much sweet communion with Jesus Christ that such a man should bee willing to dye Certainly no but that hee knew that upon the dissolution of his body his soul should injoy further communion with Jesus Christ than it could do here It is an immortal substance it runs parallel with eternity of such an excellent nature the soul of man is And then further in this appears The excellency of it that it is the measure of all other kinde of excellency 5 The soâ—ls excellency shewed in being the measure of all other excellencies The soul of man is the measure of all other kinde of excellencies as thus look how far any thing may bee subservient for the good of the soul so far that thing hath an excellency in it and if it bee not subservient for the good of the soul it hath no worth and excellency in it as thus Suppose a man have a great estate in the world great comings in many friends many places now there is some excellency you will say in these things but are these subservient for the good of thy soul that thy soul can injoy communion with God so much the better then these things are good to thee but if so bee that these things hinder the work of thy soul and do not help it forward in the service that it is most capable of and made for there is no excellency in these things And indeed I know no one better sign that a man doth understand the true worth of his soul than this What doth hee account to bee the measure of the excellency of all the things of this world Thou wouldest fain have an estate and outward things in abundance as other men have Why thou sayest they are the good creatures of God I grant it they are so but now wherein dost thou think the excellency of these creatures doth most consist Certainly if thou comest to know the true worth of thy soul thou wilt say God gives mee these outward things and blessed bee his Name by a more large portion of these things am I inabled to do more large service for God my soul is freed from incumbrances in the world and they do help forward the work that my soul is specially concerned in viz. the service of God and therefore I account it a greater good to injoy these things than to bee without them now if thou comest to reason in this manner it is a sign that God hath shewn thee what the true worth and excellency of thy soul is 6 The price paid for souls proves its excellency But that I might draw to a conclusion This is that that above all things will demonstrate the worth and excellency of the soul The great price that was paid for it That Jesus Christ should bee willing to lay down his life to purchase the pardon of the sin of thy soul to deliver thy soul from eternal misery 1 Pet. 1.18 this shews the great worth of the soul Wee are not redeemed by silver and gold saith the Apostle Peter by any of these corruptible things Vers 19. but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ According to the price that is paid for one you may know the worth of such a one Suppose there were divers men that were taken captives one is but an ordinary Mariner you will say perhaps forty pound will redeem such a one but suppose the other bee a Gentleman or a Knight a Noble-man there must go five hundred or two or three thousand pounds for their redemption according to the excellency of the man so must bee the price of his ransome So my brethren when wee consider the price of mens souls that were taken captive by sin what was paid for them it was a price that was more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds certainly the soul is of an excellent nature Indeed it cannot bee imagined that Jesus Christ would have taken mans nature upon him and dyed an accursed death to have saved the whole world from being dissolved Suppose it had lain upon this that heaven and earth must have been dissolved except Jesus Christ would take mans nature upon him certainly Jesus Christ would have suffered heaven and earth to have gone to nothing rather than to have done as he did But when Jesus Christ saw that these immortal souls by their sin were brought into such a condition that they must perish to all eternity except hee come and take their nature upon him and lay down his life and dye an accursed death saith Jesus Christ rather than such precious souls which my Father hath made capable of injoyment of so much good from him and bringing glory to him rather than these should perish I am content to come and dye and suffer the wrath of my Father surely the price that was paid for souls doth hold forth the great worth of them In the death of Christ wee may read in large characters the worth of a soul And my brethren Even the body its self 7 The excâ—llency of the soul proved from the body because it is as the case of the soul it is a very excellent thing Of all the corporeal things that ever God hath made the body of man is the most excellent thing therefore David in Psal 139. speaking of his body saith verse 14. I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvellous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well And then vers 15. My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest part of the earth When I was curiously wrought From 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word in the Hebrew signifies Imbroydred the body of man is Imbroydery and hence in Gen. 2. it is said there that God formed man ampigore and here in Psal 139. God did imbroyder him And therefore Gallen that was an Atheist a long time when hee came to see the Anatomy of a mans body hee cryed out Now I adore the God of Nature Now the Lord hath wrought the body so curiously because it is the case of the soul and that being such an excellent creature must have a suitable case As if you have a curious Watch you will not put it into
must I lay this to pawn I thought I should never have lived to the day to lay such a thing to pawn I but when thou comest to lay thy soul to pawn thou layest a more precious thing than all the world is Secondly When thou layest a thing to pawn thou dost prefix thy own time for the redeeming of it again perhaps two three four months before thou bring that that is bargained for but when thou layest thy soul to pawn thou canst not set any time Luk. 12.20 What dost thou know oh Fool but that this night thy soul may bee taken away from thee Thirdly Yea and further When you lay such a thing to pawn you make a bargain for the bringing of somewhat to redeem it that you have in your own power or make account that you shall have in your own power to bring you will not make the bargain to bring such a thing that you are sure you shall not have in your own power Now when you lay your souls to pawn you lay them to pawn for that that you have not in your power nor all the creatures in Heaven and Earth cannot help you to in your need and that is Faith and Repentance All the Angels in Heaven nor men in the world cannot help you to it it is onely in the hands of God of the Infinite blessed God against whom you sin and whom you provoke and yet how many do thus pawn their souls and no marvel though men lose their fouls because they pawn them thus foolishly and wretchedly and that is the second way of mens losing of their souls Thirdly Men lose their souls by wounding them they give them deadly wounds upon which the souls of most do perish Quest Wounding how you will say Answ By that I mean the commission of sins against conscience to commit a known sin and a wilful sin oh this gives a wide gash in the soul a most fearful wound every sin against conscience gives a wound that requires a salve to heal it that is more worth than a thousand worlds the sins against conscience against light against knowledge they are deep wounds unto the souls of men and it is not usual for such wounds to bee healed for they do not onely strike at the life of the soul but they harden the heart of the sinner exceedingly and keep off the means that might do the soul good thou goest abroad into company and there thou committest a sin against thy conscience oh thou hast given a gash to that precious soul of thine thou hast given it a deep wound and except thou lookest to it and that presently thy soul perhaps may die for ever A man that hath received a deep wound hee presently sends for the Chyrurgion and if it bleeds well hee hopes the cure is more hopeful so when thou hast committed sin if indeed it bleed that is if thy soul presently bee sensible of it and affected with it and mourn and lament and so seek after the Chyrurgion there may bee hopes but men and women do wound their own souls by wilful sins sins against their consciences and yet they are not sensible of them they do not so much as bleed but they lye in the very open Air as it were and are not bound up at all Ah! thousand thousands there are that die and perish this way Fourthly And then a fourth sort there are that lose their souls by being gulled of them by being deceived of them Satan perswades them they are in a good condition that all is well with them and they need not fear what need they to trouble themselves these are but the melancholly thoughts of such and such kind of people there is no such great matters required in sorrow for sin and it is but a Lord have mercy upon us and but a being in Christ and hoping in Gods mercy and the like and thus by such kind of delusions as these are many souls are gulled and deceived by the Devil and so perish for ever They are like unto Jonas that was asleep and awakened in the midst of a dreadful tempest so certainly these souls when they come to know themselves and to bee awakened it will bee in the dreadfull tempest of Gods wrath As Sampson the Philistims are upon thee when hee lay in Delilahs bosome so there will bee that dreadful noise one day to these souls the wrath of God and the curse of the Law is upon thee that must lye upon thee Oh the dreadful sorrow there will bee when the soul shall see oh I am deluded and gulled many of you are vext extreamly when you are gulled of any little part of your estates but to bee deluded and gulled of your souls so as they must bee lost for ever this will bee extream horrour another day Fifthly A fifth way of losing our souls is by selling of them away selling of them away you will say what do I mean by that It is said of Alexander the sixth that was Pope hee sold his soul to the Devil for the Popedome there was an express contract between the Devil and him that if in such a year hee should come to bee Pope the Devil should have his soul But now there is a twofold selling of our souls to the Devil besides such a kind of contract as when the Devil shall appear in a bodily shape and so people sell their souls to him First As first When men seek advantage to themselves by any unlawful means seek the gain of the world or any profits or pleasures by cheating couzening wronging swearing or forswearing seek I say to gain any thing in such a way there is such a thing that thou wouldest have and that thou mayest have if thou wilt bee false in thy books in thy reckonings or forswear thy self for gain I say thou dost as truly sell thy soul for the getting of that gain as ever Conjurer did that did contract face to face with the Devil I would have such a gain why saith the Devil though thou dost not see him then thou must lye thou must couzen thou must swear and forswear I will do it saith the soul and thus thou dost many times sell thy soul to the Devil You that are chap-men if one should come and offer you a little matter for a commodity that is of price you have such a peece of ware in your shops that is worth forty shillings and one comes and offers you tâ—o-pence for it why you rise in disdain against it what offer mee two-pence for that which is worth forty shillings oh now that your hearts would rise in disdain when the Devil comes to buy your souls you should rise in disdain what shall I venture the selling of this soul of mine that is more worth than ten thousand worlds for such a poor gain as this is and yet many of you do Secondly And then there is a second way of a mans selling of his soul and that
many ignorant people that pervert the Word to their own destruction If God bee not merciful to them therefore why should wee pray or read or hear or use any means let us lay aside all wee can do nothing wee are dead in sins and the like Now wee are to know that though nothing can bee done by us till God bring us into a state of grace and salvation that is acceptable so as certainly shall bring us to Heaven yet if it bee but that that shall stop us in the contrary way a little it is worth our labour If it be but that that any way may tend towards the bringing of us unto any means that may do us good why it is worth our labour and all our pains but especially if wee consider this that though wee are not able to do that that shall save us yet God is pleased often to convey his strength to those hee doth intend to save through the use of those means rather at that time when they do improve their natural abilities than at that time when they sit idle and do nothing and therefore you must bee up and bee doing Wee read in the Gospel concerning the young man that I told you came to Christ and inquired what hee should do for eternal life Christ profest to him that hee was not far from the Kingdome of Heaven hee was not so far as others It is true if a man abuses his doing and rests in his doing that sets him as far from the Kingdome of Heaven as prophane ones and therefore Publicans and Harlots may enter into the Kingdome of Heaven as soon as Scribes and Pharisees But there may bee many actions done by a common assistance of Gods Spirit that may bring some nearer to the Kingdome of Heaven than others and the denial of such a thing as that is would bee an extream boldness in any for they are the very words of Christ to the young man That hee was not far from the Kingdome of Heaven and therefore notwithstanding your inability and notwithstanding the things that wee do are not the things that save us yet wee have ground enough to put on men and women to do Now the meaning of this great question is this What is the way that God ordinarily takes to bring men and women to salvation by or how should I follow God on in his way that is a certain truth of the Antients Though God made thee without thee yet hee will not save thee without thee God works upon us as upon rational creatures and therefore it doth concern all the children of men that would have their souls saved to observe the work of God and to stir up what is in them to joyn with the work of God in the way of salvation and certainly whatever conceits there are to the contrary they are not onely foolish but extream dangerous and Satans policy and cunning is exceedingly much seen in them A further thing that I would premise before I come to particulars is this when I speak of any thing that should bee done I prescribe no particular order knowing that the works of God are various And sometimes God stirs up a soul to do one thing and sometimes to do another thing but take them in what order you will yet wee must name them for memory sake in some order and God expects them from you and you are to joyn with God in those works if you would have your souls to bee saved The great Question of what wee should do to bee saved answered First If you would have your souls saved do you joyn with God in what hee hath revealed to you concerning your lost condition labouring to understand those truths clearly that are delivered in the Word concerning the lost condition of souls by nature and to work those truths upon your hearts to bee sensible of them Those whom God intends to save hee shews unto them what this salvation is hee shews them from what it is they are to bee saved that so they may not run away vvith the meer word Salvation and saving of souls now God reveals this in his Word and when hee intends to save a soul hee doth by his Spirit stir it up to joyn with the Word of God and work those things upon its self so as to bee made sensible of them As thus the soul being solicitous how it should come to bee saved it searches the Scripture and there it findes how wee are by nature the children of wrath there it findes that God had made man according to his own Image at first but man hath sinned against God and broken the covenant upon which his eternal state did depend and in the sin of the first man all men have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God and now are conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity so that there is a most dreadful breach between God and the soul and that man by nature is become an enemy to the Infinite God That now hee hath the seeds of all kind of sin in him and that all his life while hee continues in his natural estate here is nothing else but a fighting against God a flying in the very face of God Hee findes that by sin hee is brought under a most dreadful curse the curse of the Law and that hee is bound over by the bonds of the Law even to death to eternal death as the wages of sin these things the soul findes in Scripture now if thou wouldest bee saved when thou findest God revealing such things labour thorowly to convince thy soul of the truth of them and are these things so indeed is this my condition am I thus and thus naturally Oh what good then will it do to mee to have all the world and bee in such a condition as this is Oh my soul when wert thou sensible of this condition dost thou walk as it becomes one that is sensible of such a lost estate as this is Oh! labour to drink in these truths and to work them upon thy heart and cry to God to set them home upon thy spirit to make thy soul thorowly sensible of them as hee uses to make those whom hee hath a purpose to save Here 's the first thing And yet one thing about this further is That you must come to a conviction not onely of your lost estate but of your inability to save your selves and the inability that there is in all creatures in Heaven and Earth to save them that thy fall from God is so dreadful that all the created power in Heaven and Earth cannot help thee yea and that thou thy self now art unable to help thy self to save thy soul bee convinc'd thorowly of this This was the way that Christ took with the young man hee tells him of the Law first and then afterwards because hee was conceited that hee had fulfilled the Law and done it Christ puts him upon a duty that might convince him
fear God why if you fear God if it bee the right fear of God you will fear God more for what you see in God himself than for any works of God than for any works of his judgements or threatnings and the like And so in the desires of the heart after God why where the heart is gracious it works after God for himself and not for his gifts It is an argument of a false love a whorish love for the wife to love her husband for that shee shall have by him and not to love his person more And so it is a sign of a base slavish spirit for a childe to love his fatheâ— because hee gives him meat and drink and cloaths and will leave him an inheritance and not rather to love the very person of his Father so the heart is but false with God that loves God and that desires after God more for any thing that God doth than for what God is and as these workings of heart love and fear and desire are more in respect of God himself than of his works so praises of God and delighting in God where it is from true grace it is more from what the soul sees in God than from the manifestation of all the glory of God in all his works for Praise the Name of the Lord For his Name is excellent his glory is above the earth and heaven but wee shall let this pass The main Point in the Text which wee are to pitch on is this That God is a most excellent being above all things Doct. 2 This is the work that now I have to do to endeavour to present God in the excellency of his being to you onely you must by way of caution know before wee do begin That God dwells in that light that is unapproachable 1 Tim. 6.16 That it is but little that wee do or can know of God And before wee begin to set forth the excellency of Gods being to you you must know that there is infinitely more than either the tongue of Man or Angel can express when wee have done all wee can there is more in God that is beyond what wee can say or Angels could preach unto you I say more than the glorious light of the Sun is more than a little glittering of a gloe-worm in the night more than all the Sea is beyond and above a spoonful a drop of water And further by way of Caution you must know this that it is impossible to set before you the excellency of Gods being and yet to speak so as every thing should bee plain to every one Many things in the opening of Gods Nature to you must needs have some difficulty in them because the subject that wee are speaking of is so high above us especially it must needs bee difficult to unclean spirits to spirits that have alwayes been groveling below in the dirt to drousie spirits that think nothing to bee excellent but onely to eat and drink and satisfie their flesh when they hear the excellency of Gods Being set out unto them it must needs bee an argument above their reach it cannot bee expected that it is possible to speak so as their hearts should close with what is said to apprehend it But howsoever wee do not know what God may do in going along with his word how hee may come by his Spirit even to those that are of the weakest capacity therefore I shall endeavour to do that that is my work that is to shew you somewhat of God what an excellent being hee is and so leave the work of the Spirit of God to himself to make known those things that shall bee propounded and to settle them upon your hearts Wherefore then God is an excellent being above all things First Hee is and there is none else besides him The truth is wee can scarce say that any thing is but God Exod. 3.14 When God came to Moses to send him to Pharaoh and Moses would know the Name of God hee bid him say I am that I am I am hath sent mee and God only describes himself thus unto Moses I am I am a being and so the name Jehovah is a name proper to God that signifies Gods being Now might Moses say Lord is this a name that will distinguish thee from any thing else to say I am cannot any man say so I am but yet God gives this name of his as his proper name meerly I am a being and I am that being that I am and that is all the name God would tell Moses when Moses did desire to know so much of him and how hee might express him that did send him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am that I am Vt haereditare faciam id quod 〈◊〉 est from thence comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 essentia substantia For indeed Gods being it is that that is proper and all other creatures in comparison of this God have but a shadow of being therefore in Prov. 8.21 saith Wisdome there that is Godliness I cause to inherit substance the words are translated by the Learned that which is Grace carries to God and so by Grace being carried to God wee come to inherit that which is as if all the while wee inherited any thing in the world wee did not inherit that which is God himself properly is So in Isa 45.5 6. I am Jehovah and there is none else besides mee There is nothing that hath a being besides mee that is not such a being as we shaâ—l further open yea and in comparison no being therefore in Isa 40.15 17. Wee have a most excellent expression of the excellency of Gods being in comparison of all other things All the Nations of the world they are as the drop of the bucket and as the small dust of the ballance in comparison of God Yea they are all nothing less than nothing What an expression is here take all the Nations of the world put them all together they are all but as the drop of the bucket that you shall see hang a little at the bottome but as a little dust of the ballance how soon may you take your finger and wipe off the drop of the bucket why so even all Nations of the world may as soon perish in respect of God yea as if the Holy Ghost had said too much when hee compared the Nations of the world to God as if hee should say what did I say they were as the drop of the bucket and as the small dust in the ballance nay they are nothing at all nay and I must go lower they are less than nothing And thus you see the Name of God is alone excellent because indeed hee is such a being as in comparison of him there is nothing that is worthy of the name of a being That 40. of the Prophecie of Isaiah when you come home it will bee a good Chapter to read in your Families to set out the greatness of God
I will onely give you a hint of one or two now Oh what infinite cause have wee all to bee ashamed of those low thoughts wee have had of God! Use If God bee thus as hee hath been but a little presented to us now and by what wee see wee may gather that there is infinitely more in God and God is infinitely higher than ever wee thought of I say then upon the very hearing of such things as these are and especially wee being conscious to our selves how little wee are able to understand of them wee may see cause to bee ashamed of the poor and low thoughts that wee have had of this infinite Majesty the unworthy thoughts that wee have had of him when wee have come into the presence of God you have come to prayer to God have you come to prayer as unto such a God have you had such kind of thoughts as these are that hee is that high Majesty Certainly you cannot sanctifie Gods Name but you must have high thoughts of God and though I will not say that those do not sanctifie Gods Name that have not every one of these thoughts of God yet thus much I will say that those that have not apprehended every one of these things of God have not sanctified Gods Name as much as they should for wee are to apprehend what it is possible for us to apprehend here in this world or otherwise wee do not sanctifie Gods Name so as wee ought when wee come to God in prayer or to worship him in any other duty of his worship if wee do not apprehend of God as much as wee possibly can in this world wee do not sanctifie Gods Name as much as wee ought to do and wee are to bee ashamed that wee have not such apprehensions of God as wee might possibly have if God bee such a God as this what poor thoughts of God are these that hee is as an old man in Heaven some have such poor apprehensions of God and when they hear the Scripture speak of Gods eyes and ears and hands they think that God hath a body when as the Scripture doth but speak to our capacities that is what a man can do with his eyes or hands or ears that God is able to do by his infinite power I appeal to you have you apprehensions of the majesty and glory of God beyond all majesty and glory that any Creature is capable of in this world wee do not sanctifie Gods Name except I say wee apprehend God higher in majesty and glory than all creatures in the world are Suppose you were to come to a King that had all the glory and honour put upon him that ever any creature had in this world with what fear and trembling would we come before such a Majesty as this is but if thou hast not come with further trembling and fear before God when thou camest into his presence if thou hast not come with higher thoughts of that God that thou hast to deal withall I say thou hast not glorified God as a God no marvel though people are so slight and vain in the duties of Gods worship because they do not know what a God hee is that they have to do withall Use 2 This sheweth you the dreadful evil there is in sin why because it is against such a God as this God is dost thou know whom it is that thou sinnest against Oh thou sinner dost thou know whom it is thou strikest at it is this infinite God that is thus presented to you Whose Name alone is excellent and whose glory is above the Earth and Heavens Know sinner and the Lord smite this upon thy heart thou that art a wicked and ungodly man all the daies of thy life thou hast done nothing else but fought against this God this infinite and glorious God thou hast been an enemy to all the daies of thy life and every time thou renewest thy sins thou dost do nothing else but strike at this infinite God and provokest the wrath of this infinite deity against thy soul and body and darest thou stand out against this God wilt thou put it to the trial to see whether that God that thou sinnest against bee such a God as this is wilt thou put it to the ttial that God should set thee apart to make thee an object upon whom to exercise all that infinite power that there is in God to bring evil and misery and torments upon thee for thy sin this is the case of all desperate sinners that do go on in a desperate way of sin the language of their sin is this I do hear much spoken concerning the greatness and excellency and glory of God I le try and venture I le put it to the experiment whether God bee such a God or no as hee hath manifested himself in his word Oh woe to that Creature that shall come to feel what the greatneâ—s of God doth mean Oh it is infinitely better for thee to fall down before him and therefore this should bee the Exhortation to all sinners Consider Exhort Oh sinful man or woman what a God it is thou dost contest withall shall the potsheard strive with his Maker let one potsheard strive with another but let not the Creature strive with the Almighty for hee will bee infinitely too hard for thee and hee will appear alone to bee excellent thou dost lift up thy will above his will as if so bee that thou wouldest rise above this infinite God but know in despite of thy heart hee will bee above thee hee hath thee under his feet this moment and the sword of his justice is at thy very heart and hee can take thy heart blood when hee pleases and send thee down to eternal miseries there is no striving with such a God as this is who is alone excellent Isa 45.23 Rom. 14.11 the word hath proceeded out of his mouth in Righteousness that every knee must bow unto him and every tongue must confess this God certainly one way or other hee will have his glory out of thee God can as well cease to bee as not to have his glory out of every Creature do but consider of this and learn to tremble before this God The Lord is excellent and glorious above all things and hee is resolved that hee will have his gloâ—y from every Creature one way or other and if it prove that hee comes upon thee to force it out of thee better ten thousand times that thou hadst never been born 1 Pet. 5.6 James 4.10 therefore according to the Exhortation of the Holy Ghost in Scripture Oh! let us humble our selves under the mighty hand of God and let us all say Thou O Lord art alone excellent and thy glory is above the Heavens and Earth and the desire of our souls is to lâ—ft up thy Name as the excellent thing above all Creatures While wee live here in this world this is our excellency and
blessed is that man or woman that comes to see this to bee his or her excellency namely that I might lift up Gods Name in the place where hee hath set mee heretofore I have lift up other things as excellent if I could get an Estate c. But the Lord hath made mee to see that hee alone is excellent and his excellency hath darkned all the excellency of the Creature in my eyes I see nothing excellent but God and all in order unto God that is a good sign of the work of grace in a man or woman when hee shall see so much of the excellency of God as Gods excellency shall darken all the excellency in the world The Third SERMON ON The Nature of God PSAL. 148.13 For his Name alone is excellent BUt a second Use is this that wee are now to proceed in Oh how vile is sin then that is committed against such a God as this is there is nothing in the world can shew a soul the evil of sin but the sight of God If wee should tell you never so much of the terrours of the Law and of hell fire though you might see the desert of sin somewhat yet until you come to see with what a God you have to deal you can never know what the evil of sin means Against thee thee onely have I sinned Psal 51.4 saith David that was the thing that strook Davids spirit David knew that it was against God that hee sinned when God shall come to the conscience of a sinner and present himself before his conscience and say Oh wretched sinner it is I that you have sinned against as Christ did in Act. 9. unto Saul Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee Act. 9.4 So when God shall say Sinner sinner why dost thou rebel against mee If God would but give us one sight of himself that wee might behold him as hee is upon his Throne in this excellency of his Name above all things it were impossible but the heart of a sinner should even break at such a sight Certainly one day every sinner shall have a sight of God Happy it is now for us to have such a sight of God here in this world that may cause us to see the evil of our sins for otherwise the sight of God hereafter will certainly sink our souls into the bottomless gulf of horrour and despair When Daniel was about to confess his sin in Dan. 9. Mark how hee begins because hee would get his heart to bee affected with his sin and the sins of the people that there hee confest Mark how hee begins his prayer Dan 9.4 And I prayed saith hee in the 4. verse unto the Lord my God and made my confession and said O Lord the great and dreadful God thus hee begins I made confession saith hee I prayed and made confession of sin and said Oh Lord the great and dreadful God first hee looks upon God how great and dreadful hee was and this it was that caused him to confess his sin with humiliation you that say your prayers and will confess that you are sinners did you but at the beginning of your prayers when you go to confess your sin cast up one eye to heaven and behold this God upon his Throne and see him to bee the great and dreadful God it would cause you to confess sin after another manner than ever yet you have done It is a good thing therefore in our prayers when wee are about to confess sin first to set before our souls the greatness and the dreadfulness of that God that wee have sinned against When this Prophet Daniel would humble that proud Belshazzer in Dan. 5.23 Mark what hee saith And the God in whose hand thy breath is and whose are thy wayes hast thou not glorified This speech set home upon a mans conscience were enough to break the proudest and stoutest heart in the world If so bee that the eyes of the proudest stoutest sinner were opened to see God in his glory and to hear the Lord speak thus to him that God in whose hand is the breath of thy nostrils and all thy wayes that is the God that thou hast not glorified thou doest not think with whom it is that thou hast to deal but that is the God that you have heard preached of thus Whose Name alone is excellent such an infinite and glorious Deity is that Deity that thou hast neglected and despised and preferred thy lusts before Oh if God would but give commission unto your consciences to speak this with power to you that God that is thus glorious and excellent you have sinned against oh it would bee of wonderful force to break the hardest heart of men And in Psal 104.1 2. Psal 104.1 2. Do but see there how David had his heart rising against sin and sinners upon the consideration of the excellency of God there hee speaks of the same argument that wee have here in the Text Bless the Lord Oh my soul my God thou art very great thou art cloathed with honour and majesty and so hee goes on who coverest thy self with light as with a garment Hee proceeds in the Psalm describing the greatness and excellency of God But then when hee had done describing Gods excellency and found his heart warmed and inlarged and raised with the meditation of the excellency of God Mark how hee breaks forth in the last words of the Psalm Let the sinners bee consumed out of the earth and let the wicked bee no more Vers 35. bless thou the Lord Oh my soul As if holy David should have said thus Oh Lord I see thee to bee very great and thou art cloathed with honour and Majesty and thy Name is excellent above all things What And are there any wretched creatures that will dare to presume to rebel against thee who art so great that will dare yet to set their will against thy will and to prefer their lusts before thee Oh cursed bee those sinners Let the sinners bee consumed from the earth and let the wicked bee no more There is infinite reason that wicked wretched creatures should bee for ever consumed that sin against such a God as thou art who art so great as thou art My brethren it is no marvel though the people of God are so afraid of sin many of you wonder at the niceness of the consciences of many people that they dare not commit any known sin for a world you wonder at them why they should bee so nice you think it is foolishness Would you know the reason It is this God hath shewed unto their consciences a sight of himself they have had a sight of the glory of the Majesty of the great God Whose Name alone is excellent and it is that that makes them afraid of sin for ever and makes them look upon sin as the greatest evil and even tremble at the least temptation unto any sin whatsoever And that is the second
Use Great is the evil of sin if committed against such a God Use 3 Thirdly Hence then if God bee thus excellent above all from the meditation of the Excellency of God and his glory wee see cause to bee vile in our own eyes the higher wee see God to bee the lower wee should bee in our own eyes there is nothing will take down the spirit of a man more than God I dare say of every proud heart in the worâ—d such a one knows not God never had a sight of the glory of God that hee hath to do withall the sight of God will wonderfully humble the heart before him Job 42.5 is very famous for this Job saith With the hearing of the ear I have heard of thee but now mine eyes have seen thee what follows then upon that Wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes Vers 6. Job that was a holy man yet hee confesses that hee had but even heard of God hee never had such a sight of God as God gave him at this time and upon the sight that hee had of God though hee were a holy and a gracious man and could stand in his uprightness yet saith hee Mine eyes have seen thee and therefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes Oh that God would give such a fight of himself to all your souls to those proud stout and rebellious sinners that have gone on in wayes of rebellion against him You have heard of God by the hearing of the ear but have your eyes ever seen him If God would but give you a sight of what I have briefly spoken to you you would certainly fall down before him and abhor your selves in dust and ashes So the Prophet Isaiah though a godly man yet in Isa 6. hee heard the Cherubins and Seraphins praising of God and crying Holy Holy Isa 6.1 2 3. Holy is the Lord of Hoasts And there was a vision of God upon his Throne to the Prophet what follows saith the Prophet Woe unto mee for I am undone Why For I am a man of polluted lips and I dwell among a people that are of unclean lips Woe unto mee for I am undone for I have seen the King the Lord of Heasts I see the Lord upon his Throne and I behold the blessed Angels how they admire at his glory Oh woe to mee I am undone If so holy a man shall thus cry out upon the sight of God and say Woe to mee I am undone because I am a man of polluted lips Oh what mayest thou do then that art a man of polluted lips and polluted heart and polluted life Oh how are thy lips polluted The Prophet Isaiah hee was no swearer neither was hee one that would talk filthy unclean talk but yet hee complains hee was a man of polluted lips and cryes Woe to mee I am undone because I have seen the Lord Oh how would thy heart then bee humbled What cause at least is there that thy heart should bee humbled that art so polluted as thou art the sight of God should mightily humble us before God Psal 8 the beginning Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the earth saith the Prophet David and so hee goes on to shew the excellency of God then hee cryes out in verse 4. What is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him Lord thou that art so excellent in thy self above all things it is a wonder that thou shouldest vouchsafe so much as to look upon man It may bee thou lookest high because thou art a little above thy brethren but if thou hadst a sight of God thou wouldest wonder that this God should look to thee Psal 113.6 there you have such an expression That God doth humble himself to behold the things that are done in heaven Why what an expression is hereof Gods excellency God is so excellent that hee doth humble himself to behold the things that are done in heaven now if hee bee so excellent as to humble himself to the beholding of the things in heaven then how doth God humble himself to behold things done in earth to behold such wretched vilde creatures as thou art Oh bee vile in thine own eyes upon the sight of the great God and by these three Uses you may have three Notes whether ever God hath made known himself to you or no. First Are you ashamed and confounded in your thoughts for those low poor thoughts you have had of God Secondly Hath the sight of God caused you to see the dreadfulness of the evill that there is in sin Thirdly Hath the sight of God made you to bee vile in your own eyes That is a good evidence that you have had some sight of God indeed In the fourth place If God bee thus excellent and his Use 4 glory so great above the earth and heavens Hence wee may learn to know the vanity of the creature Set but God now and the creature together nay all the creatures in the world together Oh how is the vanity of all creature-comforts in the world made known to us There are many wayes to convince us that there is a vanity in all things in the world by the strength of reason wee may bee convinced and by experience A man sometimes that hath an estate God doth but touch his body and layes him upon his sick-bed such a man saith Oh what a poor thing is it to injoy all the world had I all the world at my command I could have no comfort in it and therefore what a vanity is there in the creature And another perhaps by arguments and reasons will tell you that every thing is vain and there is no contentment nor continuance in any thing in the world When wee see men that are rich and great dye and carry nothing with them wee are ready to say Oh how vain the world is these are some means to cause us to see the vanity of the creature But what are all these to the sight of God The sight of the glory of God it is infinitely more powerful to discover the vanity of all things in the world to us That man or woman that hath had once a real sight of this God in his infinite excellency wil not much regard what becomes of him concerning outward things in this world Hee that sees God to be great will see all other things to bee small And indeed wee never see God to bee truly excellent except wee see him alone to bee excellent Thou thinkest thou knowest somewhat of God I but still the excellency of the creature is glorious in thy eyes Certainly thou dost not know God aright If thou knowest God aright in his excellency thou knowest him Alone to bee excellent and therefore if thou knewest no other excellency but God all other things would bee but vanity in thine eyes In 2 Cor. 3.10 saith the Apostle there concerning the glory of
knows my Name the Lord haâ—h a hath account of those that know his Name As for those ignorant creatures let them bee what they will in regard of outward things yet if they bee ignorant of God they are vile and low and base in Gods esteem but take a soul that knows Gods Name the Lord will set him on high such a one is high in the very thoughts of God and the Lord doth take pleasure to make such a soul to bee high Paul in Phil. 3.8 did account all things dung and dross for what for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ For indeed in the knowledge of Christ God is known and if you would study the knowledge of God it must bee in Christ you can never know God but in Christ Matth. 11.27 saith Christ there No man knows the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son shall reveal him It must bee Christ that must reveal the glory of God to our souls or else wee can never come to know him savingly Use 6 Sixthly If God bee thus excellent above all and his glory thus above the earth and heavens hence we are taught to labour to keep the sense of the infinite distance that there is between God and his creatures alwayes in our hearts And this is a point of marvellous consequence the sense of the distance between God and us If God bee infinitely above the creature then God expects that wee that profess any knowledge of him that wee should evermore have our thoughts upon Gods excellency raised in a kinde of infiniteness above what wee think of the excellency of any creature and our hearts then should work after God in a kinde of infiniteness more than ever they did work after any creature as there is an infinite disproportion between the excellency of God and the excellency that there is in any creature I beseech you observe what I am speaking for it is of marvellous use to help us to sanctifie God in all our wayes as there is an infinite distance between the excellency of God and of all creatures so there ought to bee in a kinde an infinite distance between what our hearts are in the working after God and the working after the creature otherwise wee lift not up Gods Name in his excellency and glory And indeed a gracious heart will make it so and in this I conceive the very work of grace consists in that it is such a principle in the soul of a man or woman that is converted that though such a one bee a finite creature yet it hath a kinde of infiniteness in the working of it after God You will say Infinite how can that bee True I confess properly it cannot bee infinite but thus it is infinite in its kinde that is such a creature hath such a principle as it would fain if it were possible work infinitely after God And Further This principle of grace doth cause this in the heart that it will never limit its self in any working after God and therefore hath a kinde of Infinitenesse and here is the difference between one that hath true grace and the most glorious hypocrite in the world An hypocrite hee will ever bee bounding his working after God and think thus much is enough what need any more If I do thus and thus why I may do well and go to heaven at last and so doth bound himself But now where there is the least dram of true grace though there bee many weaknesses in the soul yet such a soul doth never bound its seâ—f in working after God I indeed heretofore have â—et out my heart to the creature but now I would fain if I could let out my heart infinitely after God Why For I see an infinite distance between the good there is in the creature and the good there is in God certainly where this is there is grace and this one note were enough to discern the truth of grace in the heart If the sight of God have wrought this that whereas heretofore thy heart hath been let out after such and such creature-comforts now thou dost desire if it were possible to let out thy heart infinitely after God here is the work of grace and in this thou goest beyond any hypocrite Oh keep this constant in thy soul this is the especial sanctifying of Gods Name in all our wayes when wee see that God gives us leave to let out our hearts towards the creature in some measure then there is a great deal of danger that wee should have our hearts stick in the creature and that we should not have that disproportion in the letting out of our hearts to the creature and to God as ought to bee And this is the ground of all Idolatry in the world when men have seen some excellency in the creature they have been taken with it and there have stuck and have not been carried from the creature to God And that is Heathens Idolatry when they see an excellency in the Sun they think that is God So Christians Idolatry may bee in this If there bee any creature-comfort that thy heart closes withall and there thou dost stick and thy heart is not carried to God yea is not carried to God in such a disproportion as there is between him and the creature I say so far as thou wantest that that thou art capable of in this kinde so far thou art guilty of Idolatry Oh that this one note might stick upon us There is none like unto thee O Lord Canst thou say this out of the uprightness of thy soul as in the presence of God Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that though I have a vile heart that is let out after the creatures more than it ought to bee yet Lord thou knowest that my heart is let out after nothing so much as after thee that would bee a good argument of a gracious work of God upon thee Surely if none bee like unto the Lord then our hearts should bee after nothing so as after the Lord Wee must not content our selves with a little love to God Is there such a disproportion between thy love to the creature and thy love to God as there is between God and the creature Thou sayest thou lovest God I but it may bee thou lovest the creature as well Doest thou think that this will satisfie God When thou hearest that Gods Name alone is excellent God expects that thy love to hâ—m should bee in a kinde infinite above that love of thine to any creature else And there is this one thing further with which I will conclude Use 7 Surely if Gods Name alone bee excellent then in a proportion Gods people alone are the excellent people upon the earth According as a mans God is so is hee as you know men conceive their excellency to bee according to the excellency of him whom they serve according as a mans God is I say so is hee Now if God alone
bee excellent and hee bee thy God then thou art excellent the people of God are therefore excellent because their God is so excellent this is the reason of that phrase that you have in Prov. 12.26 The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour Why is a righteous man more excellent than his neighbour It may bee the righteous man is a poor man and his neighbour is a rich man perhaps this poor good mans next neighbour is a Knight or a Noble-man yet hee is more excellent than his neighbour Why because his God is more excellent because the infinite Lord of heaven and earth is the portion of a righteous man If God bee alone excellent then the righteous is alone excellent and I will give you a Scripture or two to shew that according to the excellency of God in a proportion doth appear the excellency of the children of God compare Deut. 33. and the 26. verse and the 29. verse together In verse 26. There is none like unto the God of Jesurun then in vers 29. Happy art thou O Israel who is like unto thee You see that there is a reflection of the glory of God upon his Saints there is none like to God and there is none like to Gods people And so in 2 Sam. 7.22 you have an expression to the same purpose Wherefore thou art great O Lord God for there is none like thee neither is there any God besides thee according to all that wee have heard with our ears then in verse 23. And what one Nation in the earth is like thy people So that wee see here that according to the rise of Gods excellency so is the rise of the excellency of his Saints In a proportion they rise in their excellency as God rises in his If God be alone excellent certainly they are the excellent people in the world And why because the excellency of God is manifested over them to do them good Note Here is a note that hath abundance of soul-satisfying incouragement to all the Saints of God in any of their afflicted conditions whatsoever thou hast heard that Gods Name is alone excellent so adde this to it for thy comfort who art one of Gods that God accounts his chief excellency in his manifestation of himself in all the world to bee that hee might let out himself for thy good and do good to thee and that I will shew you by a Scripture or two in Psal 68.34 His Excellency saith the Text is over Israel Oh Lord there is an excellency in thee and how doth this work where doth this excellency of thine appear why it is over Israel The Excellency of God it is over Israel saith God I have chosen out my Church and mine Excellency shall bee over them and manifested towards them for good therefore in Exod. 15.7 there where Moses is praising God for the great things that hee doth for his people saith hee in the Greatness of thine Excellency thou hast done this thing ☞ so that God doth delight to shew his Excellency yea to shew the Greatness of his Excellency for the good of his people Oh how should the Saints of God make their boast of their God and rejoyce in him and bee incouraged in God alone though thou hast no other portion then God alone thou hast portion enough In Micah 5.4 there is an admirable Scripture for the incouragement of the hearts of Gods people in God alone And hee shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord in the Majesty of the Name of the Lord his God It is a Prophecie there of Christ and as it is true of Christ so of all the members of Christ they may stand when the world falls whatsoever becomes of the world whatsoever troubles are about them they are to stand and rejoyce themselves in the Name of the Lord in the strength of the Lord and in the Majesty of the Lord their God the knowledge of this reference that the Saints have to God it is that that should put courage and boldness into their hearts before all the world Rev. 22.4 And they shall see his face and his Name shall bee in their fore-heads They shall see the face of God and what then then the Name of God shall bee in their fore-heads they shall have a boldness and courage in the cause of God whatsoever becomes of the world yet wee have happiness enough in God Oh rejoyce rejoyce in this I say you that are the people of God for there is none excellent so as you are excellent and if so be that God now invests you with this excellency Two or three more Uses might bee to finish the Point What cause then hast thou to fear this God and to serve this God in all thy wayes and to worship him as a God whose Name is alone excellent Who would not fear thee there is none like unto thee Jer. 10.7 Who would not fear thee Oh King of Nations c. Let this God bee feared by us let us labour to hold forth the excellency of this our God in our lives and conversations in our whole course Oh that it might bee written upon our lives The Name of God is alone excellent all you that profess to have any interest in this God you should walk so in your conversations that it may bee written upon your lives The Name of God is alone excellent and his glory is above the earth and heavens Oh take heed that this blessed Name of God that is alone excellent bee not dishonoured and polluted by you that wee might have been large in if wee had time James calls it about Jam. 2.7 That worthy Name of the Lord you that profess your selves to bee Christians and profess godliness more than others know that you have the Name of God upon you and this Name of God it is excellent and glorious let it not suffer by you Oh woe to you that ever you were born if you should bee instruments of polluting the Name of God Mee thinks any one that makes profession of Gods Name should think with himself it were better that I were dead and rotten under the clods than that ever I should live to pollute this blessed Name of God that is so excellent What was I born that I might live to have my hand in so great a mischief as that this glorious Name of God should bee darkned by mee Oh the Lord forbid Know what the Name of God is that you profess and meditate how excellent it is and let this bee a strong argument to keep you from sin When any temptation comes oh set this against it Shall I pollute this Name of God that is so infinitely excellent No man or woman can dye with peace and have peace upon their sick-beds except they can bee able to look back into their lives and to say Lord though there hath been much weakness in mee and in many things I have dishonoured thee yet it hath
been my care in my generation and in the place that thou hast set meeâ— to lift up thy Name and I have done some thing through thy grace to lift up thy Name Oh that I could leave this point upon your hearts that every one of you might go home and make but this one Use of it I have heard That the Name of God is excellent alone and his glory is above all This likewise I have heard to bee my duty that this was the great work that I was born for that I should do some thing to make Gods Name great before all those with whom I do converse think every one of this how long hast thou lived Many of you will bee ready to say I have lived thus long in such a place and it may bee that you can say that you have done no man wrong but good But what canst thou say to this Question I appeal to thy conscience Hath the Name of God been made great by thee Hast thou done any thing to lift up this glorious Name of God in the place wherein God hath set thee It may bee thou hast not thought that this was thy work but this is the work that God expects from thee that thou shouldest give up thy self to study by all the means that possibly thou canst to lift up Gods Name and deny thy own Name no matter though that bee cast into the dirt so bee it the Name of God bee lifted up with this resolution Oh that you would but go away and that this one note might stick in your hearts I am convinced that the Name of God is infinitely glorious and therefore for the time to come through his Grace whatsoever becomes of mee yet I will do what I can to lift up his Name Consider what hath been said in the Text and the Lord give you understanding The First SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ THere is nothing of greater concernment than to know God and his Son whom hee hath sent into the world Even this is eternal life saith Christ Joh. 17.3 Wee have therefore endeavoured to open somewhat to you concerning God that you may have right apprehensions of him of that God with whom you have to deal out of that Scripture in Psal 148.13 His Name alone is excellent his glory is above the earth and heaven and concluded what for the present I intended to present before you about God with the meditation of the excellency of the state of those who have this God to bee their God who is thus excellent and glorious The Church makes her boast of her interest in God in Psal 84.14 For this God is our God Oh happy are they that having heard what a glorious God God is are able to say This God is our God this is my God in whom my soul hath interest And if the Name of God bee so excellent and glorious as you have heard there is infinite cause that we should fear him and sanctifie his Name in our conversations Job 13.11 Shall not his Excellency make you afraid Oh where is that soul that shall dare to walk before this God with boldness and presumptuousness considering what a God hee is that it hath to deal with Shall not that excellency of his that hath been opened unto you make you afraid and cause you to fear such a God Now then having spoken somewhat about the Excellency of God and what apprehensions wee are to have of God in all our wayes wee are now to speak somewhat concerning the Excellency of Christ and to shew you what apprehensions you are to have of Jesus Christ For this is eternal life to know thee and thy Son to know God and not to know him in Christ is to very little purpose It is no saving knowledge of God if wee were able to discourse never so much of him except wee know him in Jesus Christ in his Son And therefore for the knowledge of Christ which I shall endeavour to present as briefly as I did the knowledge of God You may bee pleased to turn to that Scripture in Isaiah 9. part of vers 6. onely in these words And his Name shall bee called Wonderful Text. IF you read this verse and that that follows you might think that you were rather reading an Evangelist than a Prophet one rather relating a History of what was done than a Prophecie of what was to bee done Isaiah here prophesies clearly of Christ as if hee had been come at that time and yet it was between seven and eight hundred years before the coming of Christ that this Prophecie was Unto us a childe is born unto us a Son is given and the Government shall bee upon his shoulder And his Name shall bee called Wonderful But it is the usual way of Scripture to set before us things to bee done as if they were already done to note the certainty of what God reveals to bee done and faith will make things that are not to bee as if they were really present And indeed faith never hath a proper work so much as in this in making things that are not present to bee as if they were present to make them real It was a time of great distress and trouble to the Church God when this Prophecie was as will appear from the seventh Chapter even unto this Prophesie And frequently wee finde in Scripture in times of the greatest distress of the Church there were the clearest Prophesies of Christ of the Messias to come Gen. 49.10 Dan. 9. Jacob Prophesies of Shiloh when hee was in Egypt and Daniel of the Messias when hee was in Captivity in Babylon and Isaiah here To us a Childe is born unto us a Son is given whose Name is Wonderful Counsellor the mighty God when the people were in great distress And there are four reasons why the Lord would have the Prophesie of the Messias at those times especially when the Church was in a sad in a suffering condition First Because that the onely comfort of all the Saints of God then was their expectation of the Messias to come God would therefore propound Christ unto them as that that might lighten all their darkness that might sweeten all their sorrows and troubles and indeed there was enough in this in their expectation of the Saviour that was to come this was that that made their hearts rejoyce in the middest of all their sorrows Abraham saw his day and rejoyced Joh. 8.56 and was glad Secondly Therefore had they the clear manifestation of Christ in the time of their outward troubles to confirm their faith in this that how-ever their enemies prevailed much against them yet it was impossible that they should root out the Nation of the Jews for the great Saviour of the world was to come out of them therefore they were under Gods protection and though they might suffer somewhat yet they could not cease from being a Nation because that the Messias was to
come out from them and this was a great incouragement unto them to expect mercy from God because they were a people that the Lord would bring the great Saviour of the world out of And then thirdly That by the propounding of so great a mercy as Jesus Christ should bee to the world they might hereby have a help to their faith that surely God would not deny them lesser mercies what great matter was it for them to expect from God deliverance from some outward affliction when as God makes known unto them that love and that infinite compassion those tender bowels of his even to send his own Son into the world for them And then fourthly It was to teach them this that the way of deliverance from any outward affliction it was to exercise their faith upon Christ the Messia that was to come the Lord would teach his Church when it was in afflictions not so much to bee looking at the present affliction that was upon them and so to seek for outward help and means of deliverance but would have them exercise their faith upon the Messia that was to come though many hundred years after and this exercise of faith was so pleasing to God as it was the onely means or the chief means of deliverance from all outward afflictions Nay saith God if so be that they will relye upon mee and exercise their faith upon that great promise of mine to send my Son into the world as for their deliverance out of these outward troubles and afflictions it shall bee but a little matter for mee to do that for them ordinarily when wee are exercised with outward afflictions wee onely think of some natural helps and comforts contrary to those particular afflictions that are upon us whereas the way indeed for us to sanctifie Gods Name to do that that is acceptable to God when any outward affliction befalls us it is presently to exercise our faith upon the great promise of God in Jesus Christ upon the great Covenant of Grace that God hath made with us in him upon that great mercy of God in sending his Son into the world my condition is very sad and I am grievously afflicted I but surely that mercy that would send Jesus Christ into the world that mercy is enough to deliver mee out of any affliction or at least to bless it to mee therefore do not onely cry to God when you are sick or in trouble to deliver you from it but labour to exercise faith upon the Covenant of Grace in Christ upon that glorious mercy of God in his Son that is the way that God would have us to sanctifie his Name in And that is the reason why in times of great affliction there were such clear Prophesies of Jesus Christ as here in my Text For unto us a childe is born unto us a Son is given and his Name shall bee called Wonderful Counseller c. Now in this latter part of this verse wee have Christ set out unto us in five notable and famous Titles of his His Name is 1. Wonderful 2. Counseller 3. The Mighty God 4. The Everlasting Father 5. The Prince of Peace I intend onely to speak of the first His Name shall bee called Wonderful because I would have some kinde of proportion between what I have presented to you about God and what I shall about Christ And as for other things more largely about God or Christ it may bee afterwards but onely now I shall desire to present Christ unto you in this one Title of his His Name shall bee called Wonderful From whence the Point is this Doct Jesus Christ is the great Wonder of the world That is our point of Doctrine God himself above seven hundred years before hee was born gives him this Name Wonderful in the 19. of this Prophecie vers 20. wee read of a Saviour Isa 19.20 a Great one saith the Text surely Jesus Christ hee is a Saviour and a Great one hee is the Wonder of the world Judg. 13.17 18. The story of the Angels appearing unto Manoah Manoah would fain know his name And Manoah said unto the Angel of the Lord What is thy Name vers 18. the Angel of the Lord said unto him Why askest thou after my name seeing it is secret Now the word that is translated in your books Secret it is a word that signifies Wonderful And Austin in his Questions upon this Book of Judges hee is consident that this Angel was Jesus Christ and that his ascending up in the sacrifice that Manoah offered it was to fore-signifie Jesus Christ to bee the onely Sacrifice that should ascend up to the Father for a sweet savour in the nostrils of the Father it was Jesus Christ that did appear here to Manoah and his Name is Wonderful Luther hath such a speech I remember of Christ saith hee the most famous and wonderful and glorious Miracle of all Miracles is Jesus Christ hee is the Wonder of the world God is very wonderful in all his works in the works of Creation Psal 8.1 Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name and in the end of the Psalm Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the earth yea in that one work of his in making of our bodies Psal 139.14 I am fearfully and wonderfully made saith the Psalmist God hath made our very bodies fearfully and wonderfully it is a wonderful work of God the framing of our bodies in the womb It was a means of the conversion of Gallen from Atheism hee saw the Anatomy of a mans body and beholding the wonderful work of a mans body it did force him to acknowledge the God of Nature that there was a being above Nature Now though God bee wonderful in all his works yet all his wonderful works in the Heavens and in the Earth and in the Seas they must all stand by and give way to this great Wonder as the Stars though they be glorious creatures in themselves yet when the Sun arises all their light is eclipsed you see nothing of them so though God hath many wonders in the world and hath done many wonderful works yet when the Son of Righteousness doâ—h arise when Jesus Christ comes to appear all the other works of God are darkned with the glory of this great Wonder other things are wonderful unto us because of our ignorance because wee are not able to understand the reason of things things are wonderful to children that are little regarded by wise men and understanding men Ignorance makes men to wonder at many things that have nothing in them but Christ hee is a Wondeâ— so as God himself the Father accounted him a Wonder God himself gives unto Jesus Christ this Name Wonderful and no marvel though hee bee a wonder to the Angels themselves in Heaven 1 Pet. 1.12 The Angels are said to desire to look into the things of the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To pry into them They
stoop down to pry into those things of the Gospel Great is the mystery of godliness in Christ Jesus Oh there are many glorious mysteries of godliness in Jesus Christ And such things as eye hath not seen ear hath not heard neither can enter into the heart of man to conceive as the Scripture saith in 1 Cor. 2.9 yea they are revealed onely by the Spirit of God that searches all things yea the deep things of God the Spirit that searches the deep things of God must reveal the things of the Gospel unto that soul that ever comes to the knowledge of them It was a work of the Spirit of God to instruct Bezaleel and Aholiab in those Arts of Workmanship to work in Brass and the like it is a work of Gods Spirit to shew a man the reason of the things of nature but now when Gods Spirit comes to reveal Christ to the soul for it is the Spirit of God that searches the deep things of God this puts an emphasis upon it shewing that the things of the Gospel are deep things they are things that onely are revealed by Gods Spirit and not by an ordinary work of Gods Spirit but by an extraordinary work of the Spirit of God that Spirit that searches the deep things of God must declare these things to any soul that comes to the understanding of them His Name is Wonderful Now surely hee that God spake so much of before hee came into the world hee that so many wise men and Prophets did so long to see hee that was the expectation and joy of the whole Church of God from the beginning of the world before hee came hee that was so typified out by all the Sacrifices and Types of the Old Testament by the Temple that was the wonder of the world at that time Hee that when hee came into the world had his birth solemnized by the Angels a heavenly Quire singing Doxologies Hee that had upon his first coming the wise men from the East coming to worship him surely hee must bee some wonderful one some great one and therefore as wee read of the people in Luke 1.66 when they saw and heard of such strange things at John Baptists birth the Text saith All they that heard them laid them up in their hearts saying What manner of Childe shall this bee So when wee hear of these things that were done by way of preparation to the coming of Christ for some two thousand years together and such great things that were done upon his coming surely it must needs bee some wonderful one What manner of Childe is this that is given to us wherefore then as wee read of Moses in Exod. 9.9 when hee saw that wonderful sight in the wilderness the bush burning and not consumed saith Moses I will go and see what yonder great sight is So wee may well say when Christ is propounded thus Wonderful and God himself gives him this Name let us take off our thoughts from all other things and turn aside to see this great sight to see what this Wonder is Therefore for the opening of this Wonder that is in Christ to shew you how Christ is Wonderful and how well hee may challenge this Name and how proper this Title is to him to bee called Wonderful I shall open it in these several particulars First Christ is wonderful in his Natures Secondly Christ is wonderful in his Person Thirdly Hee is wonderful in the manner of his Incarnation Fourthly Hee is wonderful in the wonderful work that hee came for into the world the wonderful things that hee came to do Fifthly Hee is wonderful in his Anointment in his Offices Sixthly Hee is wonderful in his admirable Indowments Seventhly Hee is wonderful in his glorious Miracles that hee wrought Eighthly Hee is wonderful in that great glory of God the Father that appears in him Ninthly He is wonderful in the work of his Humiliation Tenthly Hee is wonderful in his Conquest Eleventhly Wonderful in his Exaltation and the degrees of it Twelfthly Wonderful in his Saints Lastly hee is wonderful and shall bee wonderful in the highest heavens in the Church Triumphant and in all these regards wee shall see what a wonderful Saviour wee have and what kinde of thoughts wee are to have of Jesus Christ As certainly for the want of the right understanding of God and the low thoughts and apprehensions wee have of him the Name of God is little sanctified among us so for the want of the right understanding of Jesus Christ Oh how little is the Name of God sanctified in the mysteries of the Gospel wee have the word God wee can say that God made us and so the word Christ and wee hope to bee saved by Jesus Christ But oh how far are wee either from apprehending God such an infinite and glorious God as hee hath already though very darkly been set out unto you and so before wee have done though it bee but in a Sermon or two you will finde that your thoughts of Jesus Christ have been too low and too mean Oh that wee could by any means heighten your thoughts upon God and Christ that you may know the Lord and his Son whom hee hath sent into the world First Christ is wonderful in his Natures These Heads that I have propounded they all might bee largely insisted on but I think it best at first to give you a short view of things and to present them together as briefly as I may Wonderful in his Natures for hee is God and man our Saviour is God and so hee is set forth unto us afterwards the Mighty God and is not this a wonderful thing that mankinde fallen from God should have no less Saviour than the Mighty God himself If all the Angels in Heaven and men in the world had undertaken to have been the Saviours of one soul they could never have done it they could never have accomplished what they had undertaken such is the state of man as if ever hee bee saved hee must have a Saviour above the Angels above all the strength that there is in all the Angels in heaven and creatures in all the world hee is that God that you have heard of whose Name is alone excellent whose glory is above the heavens and earth but that wee should bee saved onely by God may seem to some to bee no such great wonder who can save us but God I but know that here it is not God putting forth an Attribute to save us but it is God undertaking this relation of a Saviour and God putting himself in another condition as it were and taking upon him our nature therefore that is that indeed that makes the wonder God-Man Theanthropos 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mystery of godliness God was manifested in the flesh This is a wonderful mystery that there should be such a word Theanthropos God-Man is the greatest wonder that ever there was in the world that there should bee such a
many Miracles and saith he Josephus Antiq. B. 18. e. 4 If it be lawful to call him a Man He was afraid to call him a man because of the wondrous things that he did But if any of you say How shall wee bee able to know certainly the truth of all those Miracles that hee did wee read in the Gospel how great things Christ did how he cast out Devils and cured the Blinde and Lame and raised up the Dead and the like but how can we know the truth of them For the answer of that Austine hath this Either all those things are true or they are not true if they be then hee is confirmed to be the Messias but if they be not true then saith he this is the greatest Miracle of all that such a supernatural Doctrin as that is to beleeve in him that was crucified to save the World and for men to venture their souls and eternal estates upon this without having this to bee confirmed by Miracles at first this is the greatest Miracle of all but we will passe by that only note it as we goe that Christ was wonderful in all the Wonders that hee wrought while he lived Christ wonderful in his Glorious indowments and excellency of his Person But further Christ he is the Wonder of the World in regard of those glorious endowments and excellencie of his Person those Personal endowments and excellencies that he had and herein he is the Wonder of the World Now the endowments and excellencies of Jesus Christ they are great and glorious Thou art fairer than the children of men It is he that received the Spirit without measure it is he that had the Treasures of wisdome and knowledge dwelling in him bodily and he must needs bee the Wonder of the World that Scripture in the second of the Colossians doth shew unto us what a wonderful Saviour we have it is such an expression that had wee not had it from the Holy Ghost we should never have dared to have ventured upon it as in Col. 2.3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge and then in vers 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily what an high expression is here All the fulnesse of the God-head doth dwell bodily in Jesus Christ surely he hath excellent endowments then he is filled with glorious things his Human Nature is elevated and inlarged to the highest capacity that a Creature can have to receive excellency And God hath raised up the Humane Nature of Christ to shew how high he is able to elevate a Creature and make it capable for the receiving of Glory that he might declare it to Angels and Saints to all eternity I say mans nature is raised to that height that God might to all eternity make known to the Angels and Saints this thing and say Behold to what a height is mine infinite power able to raise a Creature to be capable of happinesse Therefore Christs Human Nature is so raised and our nature in him which should be a wonderful comfort to us that our nature should be raised to so much glory in Christ And a great argument to us to take heed of the abuse of Humane Nature of thy Body and of thy Soul oh that ever any one should bee given up to that sottishnesse that is a man that hath Humane nature in him that should look after no greater good than meerly to eat and drink and play and satisfie his lust dost thou know oh Creature that thy nature is raised to such an height of excellency that God might declare to Angels and men what his power was able to doe and shalt thou that hast the same Nature that art a kin as it were to Christ shalt thou bee so base and vile to mind thy filthy and base lusts and mind no higher good than this the very thought of the raising our Nature in Christ it is a mighty argument to raise up the thoughts of one that is a man to a higher pitch than ever they have been think thus certainly my nature is capable of some higher good than meerly to ear and drink and play and to have a little Mony here for a while why now that shewes the personal excellency and endowments of Christ in general that all the fulness of the God-head doth dwell bodily in him and therefore Christ hee is called the Character and the ingraven form of the Image of God in the first of the Hebrews it is not said so of man though man be said to be made according to Gods Image yet it is never said of him That he is the brightnesse of Gods glory and the expresse Image of his Person so as it is said of Christ and in the Colossians you have mighty high expressions about the Personal excellency of Christ Chap. 1.15 Who is the Image of the invisible God the first born of every Creature and then he is the beginning of all things ver 18. He is the Image of the invisible God as God and man for so I must speak of him he is the Image of the invisible God in another manner and more fully than any creature is or possibly can be for Jesus Christ take him God and Man he hath the very character and ingraven form of whatsoever glory there is in the Father I say take him as God and Man as thus hee hath an omnipotency in him therefore it is said in the third of the Philippians latter end Who shall change our vild bodie that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body how according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself Now this is a great Mystery of godlinesse that God-Man should have an Omnipotency in him and then likewise he hath the expresse Image of all the knowledge of God for as he is God-man he is made the Judge of all the World and hee will bee the Judge not meerly as he is God but as God and Man now seeing hee is the Judge of all the World hee must have an infinite knowledge he must know the hearts of men and all the works of men and he must have an infinite Holinesse and Justice that must judge all the World And thus God-man hath an expresse Character of the Attributes of God which none else hath and then he hath an expresse character of the Immensity of God If you speak of his Body it cannot be every where but God-Man is in all places thus you have it in the third of John vers 13. it is a very strange expression and it can never bee understood but by understanding the personal union of the two Natures Why at that time hee was speaking to them there upon the earth and yet saith hee The Son of man which is in heaven At this time hee that is the Son of man is in heaven his body could not bee in two places at once but God-man was then in heaven Thus
And the truth is there is no such way to set out the Justice of God as to shew the dealing of God with his Son for the sin of man If I would preach but one Sermon that should bee my last of the Terribleness of Gods Justice I would speak of some Scripture that should shew the terribleness of the dealing of God with his Son and that would set out the Justice of God to bee a great deal more glorious than any thing else The glory of Gods Mercy appears in Christ And so the glory of Gods mercy and goodness is more in Christ than any other thing wee injoy these outward comforts as a fruit of the bounty and goodness of God I but what are all these to all the love of God in his Son I remember a learned man compares all the good things wee receive from God from his general bounty and providence and his love and mercy that appears in Christ with a few sparks that come out of a burning furnace and the heat of it within look what difference there is between them such difference is there between the love of God to us in all the comforts in this world and the love of God in Jesus Christ God hee would have an Argument to manifest the infiniteness of his love unto his creatures and no such Argument as this So God loved the world that hee sent forth his onely begotten Son Joh. 3.16 And so the glory of Gods Truth that is manifested in fulfilling Promises The glory of Gods Truth appears in Christ any promise that is fulfilled manifests the glory of Gods truth and faithfulness but now the fulfilling that great Promise of God in sending his Son into the world here the truth and faithfulness of God appears more gloriously than in all other for there was never a promise so difficult as this promise many men can bee content to fulfil promises of smaller moment when there is no great difficulty in the fulfilling of them I but here is the greatest Promise that ever was and there was the greatest difficulty for God to fulfil this promise of any thing that ever God did promise and indeed when as wee hear that Christ was promised some four thousand years before hee came into the world and yet at length hee came into the world it is a good Argument to teach us never to doubt of the fulfilling of Gods promises And indeed the right apprehension of Gods faithfulness in this great Promise of his Son will mightily strengthen the faith of the people of God to beleeve any smaller promises and not to stagger in them and the reason why people are so ready to stagger in their beleef about smaller promises it is because they have not been acquainted with the work of faith in beleeving that great promise that God made with his people in sending his Son into the world so that these Attributes with all other do shine gloriously in Christ No marvel then though the Angels upon the birth of Christ they cry out Glory bee to God on high as if they should say Oh Lord Here is one come into the world wherein thy glory doth appear and by whom thou shalt have glory to all eternity Though Christ was but a Babe in the Manger yet the Angels did see more glory in him than in the highest heavens they did not see so much cause to cry Glory bee to God on high from any object that ever they saw as when they saw the Babe in the Manger then Oh glory bee to God on high wee behold thy glory shining here and blessed are those that shall bee inabled to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ who would not but have beheld the glory of God in his great works what man or woman that hath any knowledge of God at all would for a world but have beheld so much of the glory of God as doth appear in the great Works of Creation and Providence Oh what comfort have the Saints in beholding the glory of the great God when they look up unto heaven and upon the earth and in the seas Oh but then the sweetness and soul-satisfaction that there must needs bee in the beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And this by the way would bee a good evidence of your faith have you beheld more of Gods glory in the face of Christ than ever you did in all the world besides Yea and hath the glory of God in the face of Christ darkned all the glory of the world besides unto you Have your hearts been taken with that glory more than with all the glory that there is in the world Why here would bee a good evidence of faith indeed that you have had a true and real fight of Jesus Christ wee cannot have a real sight of Jesus Christ but wee must certainly see more of God in him than in all things else The glory of Gods great works in bringing man to his eternal estate appears in Christ Eph. 1.4 And then secondly As the glory of Gods Attributes so the glory of the great Counsels and Works of God especially in the governing of man unto his eternal estate that appears in Christ above all As the great Counsels of God in Election Wee are chosen in Christ the great Counsels and Works of God in Vocation Justification Adoption Reconciliation Sanctification and Glorification these are the great Works that God doth glorifie himself in these are the great things that the thoughts and counsels of God hath been from all eternity exercised about whatsoever your thoughts are exercised about yet I say the thoughts and counsels of God have been exercised from all eternity about these great Works of his Election Vocation Justification Adoption Reconciliation Sanctification Glorification all these Works whereby hee doth order and guide mankinde unto an eternal estate Now the glory of God in all these Works they are in Christ Christ hee is the head of our Election and all are chosen in him what is Vocation but a calling unto Christ and revealing Christ to the soul And so Justification it is in Christ still And wee are made children adopted in him and reconciled in him and sanctified through him and are to bee glorified through him all these great Works about which the heart of God is so much busied the glory of God in all these it doth shine in the face of Christ and without the knowledge of Christ wee could never come to know any of these things What could the heathen know of Gods eternal Election or Vocation or Justification or Adoption or Glorification to speak such words to the Heathens as these are in reference to God it would bee barbarism But now these are the great things of God that are revealed to Christians by Jesus Christ wee come to have all these glorious counsels of God in these great works of his to bee opened to us and Christ
beloved of the Father and equal with the Father Phil. 2.6 accounted it no robbery to bee equal with God yet that he should stand before God the Father with all the sins of the Elect charged upon him so the Scripture tells us 2 Cor. 5.21 For hee hath made him to bee sin for us who knew no sin Hee hath made him to bee sin for us for Christ to bee made a worm was a wonderful Humiliation but for Christ to bee made sin was a greater Humiliation than to bee made a worm surely this must needs bee a wonder to all the Angels in heaven for them to see such a one whom they knew to bee the eternal Son of God equal with the Father to stand before the Father cloathed at it were with all the sins of the Elect. Wee read in Zech. 3. a kinde of type of this in vers 3. of Joshua the High Priest he was cloathed with filthy Garments and stood before the Angel so Jesus Christ stands cloathed with filthy Garments hee that is cloathed with Majesty and Glory yet hee must come and stand cloathed with filthy Garments before the Father For one to bee cloathed with filthy garments and yet to bee in some room alone that no body should see him is no great matter but to see a great Prince to come out before the world cloathed with filthy garments it is a very great humiliation But Christ that was infinitely above all the Princes in the world hee comes and stands before Men and Angels yea before God himself cloathed with these filthy garments For a man to have sin upon him before other men it is no great matter but for him to come into the presence of God with sin upon him it is a terrible thing But now the Son of God must do it hee comes into the presence of the Father and stands with all the sins of the Elect upon him what an object is here of Wonder Luther calls Christ the greatest sinner that ever was in the world I confess that is somewhat hard for it was but charged upon him but his meaning is onely this that I am speaking of Christ had not onely the sins of David his Murther and Adultery and denial of Peter and the like but all the sins of all the elect ones from the beginning of the world to the end of the world which they were or should bee guilty of charged upon him Secondly The wonder of Christs Humiliation it is in this that hee that was so high should bee now brought down so low for the sin of man is not this a wonder that hee that thunders in the heavens should bee crying in a Manger Is it not a great wonder that hee that framed the heavens and earth should work with a Carpenter in his Trade that hee that is the great Judge of all the world should bee accused and should bee condemned as a Malefactor and crucified among Theeves That hee that is the Lord of Life should dye that hee that dwelt in that light that is unapprochable should have darkness to cover him that hee that is the blessed God should bee made a curse for the sin of man are not these things wonderful in Christian Religion and yet all these are things that may bee said of Christ for the Lord of Life to come and dye and that accursed death this was a wonder that all the world seemed to bee affected with the very insensitive creatures for at the death of Christ the Sun withdrew his light as being amazed with this wonder not able to behold it and the earth shaked and trembled and the graves opened at this wonder the very stones clave in sunder at this wonder there was such a mighty concussion of things at this time that it made one that knew nothing of the cause of it One Dionysius seeing the darkness at that time Aut Deus naturae patitur aut mundi machina dissolvetur and such great things which were done cry out Certainly either the God of Nature suffers at this time or the world is at an end So great a wonder it was that the Lord of Life should thus dye an accursed death Angels yea all insensitive creatures they stood amazed at it and seemed to bee exceedingly affected with it And then in the third place Why Christ may dye and yet not suffer so much to make us wonder many of the servants of God have died cruel deaths But then in the third place There is a greater wonder in Câ—â—ists humiliation than in the sufferings of the servants of God because though their bodies suffered yet they had much freedome in their souls they were filled with joy and comfort in the time of their sufferings so it was in the Martyrs Oh but it was otherwise with Christ though hee were the fountain of all consolation yet Christ suffers in his soul hee was sorrowful in his soul to the very death hee gave his soul to bee an offering for sin and indeed the suffering of Christs soul was the soul of his suffering the chief of his suffering when as Christ was in the Garden there hee acknowledges that his soul was compassed round about with sorrows Matth. 26.38 his soul was very sorrowful and in another Evangelist hee began to bee amazed and a third Evangelist saith Mark 14.33 hee began to bee filled with sorrow in his soul and the very trouble of his soul was that that drew forth from him such a wonderful sweat as never was heard of in the world before nor never since nor never is like to bee that a man from distress and trouble of his soul should sweat so Many a man when hee is in fear and trouble of minde hee may sweat but when did you ever hear of a man out of trouble of minde that did sweat blood that blood should come and break through his skin and run down upon him and this through the trouble of his minde for there was no bodily affliction upon Christ then but meerly the trouble of his Spirit and hee knowing what cup hee was to drink and the trouble that hee suffered in his Soul did cause the blood to break through his veyns and come to trickle down and not some thin blood for so I have read of one in Paris that was condemned to dye and the very trouble of his spirit did cause some blood to come out of his body but thin but the Scripture tells us that there was clodders of blood and when was this sweat when hee was abroad in the night time and lay upon the ground and in the Winter season In a Winters night when hee was abroad and lay upon the ground hee sweat this sweat and all from the trouble of his spirit A man may sweat in Summer and in Winter in the day time or in a warm room or in a bed but for Christ in a Winters night and lying upon the ground to sweat such a sweat
for clodders of blood to trickle down ☜ never was Garden watered as this Garden now who would not have accounted this a Wonder of all Wonders Here upon this ground lyes groveling the Son of God the same God that made the heavens and earth lyes here in trouble and anguish of his Spirit while hee sweat clodders of blood certainly there was some great matter upon the Spirit of Christ at this time Wee know it by experience a Porter when hee hath a great burden upon his body hee carries it while hee sweats again Oh but when you see Porters sweating under their burdens remember Jesus Christ sweating under the burden of sin Besides that other expression If it bee possible let this cup pass from mee and then the second time and the third time to do it again Why the Martyrs have gone chearfully to their deaths whose deaths have been as cruel as the death of Jesus Christ and more cruel for the outward part of it but here even the great Champion from whom all the Martyrs that ever were had their strength hee when hee comes to dye If it bee possible let this cup pass from mee saith hee certainly hee saw that which the Martyrs never saw Hee suffered in his Soul Fourthly Christ hee suffered these things from his Father that makes the wonder greater and so his sufferings greater hee did not suffer onely from wicked men and devils men indeed they are like themselves malicious the devils are like themselves cruel I but Christ hee might have looked up to his Father and have said But oh blessed Father Matth. 3.17 thou hast said from heaven that I am thy well-beloved Son Christ would have accounted it no great matter to have suffered from men or devils so bee it that his Father had shined upon him Oh no but here is the wonder and the greatest thing for Angels and men to admire at that God the Father hee inflicts these sufferings with his own hand upon him and the chief sufferings of Jesus Christ they were inflicted by the very hand of God the Father himself for a King to come and take his own childe and scourge him and put him to death with his own hand wee would say There was never such a thing heard of yet thus it was in the work of our Redemption God the Father takes Christ with his own hands and puts him to death For hee made his Soul an offering for sin it was hee that bruised him If you read Isa 53.10 you shall finde it was the Father that did it And that was typified in Abrahams coming with his knife to sacrifice Isaac his Son was not that a wonderful thing that story of Abraham Isaac must bee sacrificed and Abraham to sacrifice Isaac his onely Son with his own hands what a strange history is that but that was but the type here is the Antitype here God the Father takes his Isaac his onely Son Christ and sacrifices him himself surely there was some great thing to bee done that God the Father should do it thus himself Fifthly Not onely God hee comes himself upon him and inflicts these evils but hee doth not spare him at all You will say If God himself must bee the Executioner and come and lay his hand upon him hee will lay his hand gently upon his own Son Nay when Jesus Christ the Son of God came to take our sins upon him the Father would not spare him one whit but le ts out the fulness of Justice upon him le ts out his Justice to the full Rom. 8.32 it is said That God spared not his own Son certainly if God would have spared any one would have thought it should have been his Son Oh here behold the Justice of God the Father that when his own Son takes sin upon him and that by imputation hee must pay to the uttermost farthing to Justice yea though hee prayed with strong cryings and tears as in Heb. 5.7 Though it is true the Father did carry him through yet in this God would not spare him notwithstanding any of his cryes but hee must suffer to the uttermost and pay the uttermost farthing that Divine Justice did require for the satisfying of it for mans sins Many poor creatures think that having to deal with God who is a mercâ—ful God though they have the guilt of great sins upon them yet if they cry out to God for mercy that God wil spare them why art thou dearer to God than Jesus Christ was thy sins are thine own his was but by imputation yet when hee cryed hee must not bee spared What thoughts must the Angels in Heâ—ven have upon this when they see him whom they knew to bee the eternal Son of God under the hand of the Father and the Father not so much as to spare him in any thing Certainly if wee do not know these things or beleeve them if wee think to put off God lightly if wee think that a few cryes to God at last will bee enough to cause God to spare us and pass by all our sins do but know God in Christ and a thousand of thy vain thoughts about God and the pacifying God for thy sin will vanish away and come to nothing did wee but know God aright in Jesus Christ Sixthly Yea but yet further there is a further wonder in this humiliation of Christ God did not spare him I but when God deals thus with his Son will hee leave him For one to suffer much yea and though it bee much from God yet so long as they may have the presence of God with them that God doth not leave them it is not so much But in all these sufferings God the Father leaves him this is that is exprest by that speech that wonderful speech of Christ upon the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee There was never a speech spoke in this world that had matter of so much admiration as that speech of Jesus Christ that was the eternal Son of God Matth. 27.46 in the middest of his sufferings that hee should thus cry out certainly hee did not mistake what Christ apprehended to bee was wee many time may apprehend that God hath forsaken us when there is no such thing but certainly Christ was never deceived in his apprehensions but what hee did apprehend it was true But now what this forsaking of God was it is a very hard thing a great mystery which is too deep for us to dive into but that there was a forsaking and that hee was not deceived but that hee apprehended was real that must needs bee granted or otherwise wee must grant that Christ was deceived which would bee blasphemy for us to say Seventhly Yea again yet further the wonder in Christs humiliation was this that all this Christ foresaw and yet did willingly undertake it to save mankinde see what the heart of Christ in his sufferings towards his elect ones was that rather than hee
would see them to bee plunged into the bottomless gulf of eternal misery hee would put himself into it to keep them out hee did it willingly When hee did fir stundertake this great work with his Father hee knew what hee should suffer A body hast thou prepared mee it is written in the volume of thy book I should do thy will Heb. 10 5 7. and lo I come I delight to do thy will And what was it It was the suffering of all these things that I have named unto you and I have but even named them unto you Eighthly And yet further the wonder of Christs humiliation my scope is now to present as briefly as may bee as much of Christ as I can unto you that you may have some help for your more clear apprehensions of Christ and how to make him the object of your faith The wonder of Christ appears in this that there should bee such a way to save men as this is that the Son of God should bee thus humbled and this wee finde clearly in Scripture set out to us but that God would have such a way to save sinners and no other this is as great a wonder as any thing it is certainly the astonishment of the Angels and the admiration of the Saints to all eternity that the Lord should look upon base man and that hee should have thoughts to save him that was nothing but when God saw that if hee bee saved hee must bee saved after this way that God should as it were trouble heaven and earth for the saving of a poor wretched sinful creature and though God saw that it would cost him so dear to save a soul yet that hee should go on with his work to save him here is the wonder but this is the way of salvation and this is that that is infinitely above reason not onely above sense but above reason which of the Heathens could have imagined that there should have been such a way to save man by as this Why how wilt thou bee saved I will cry to God for mercy and break off my sin and bee sorry with all my heart why if this were the way there was no wonder in that but know oh thou sinner whosoever thou art that if ever thou bee saved that thou must bee saved by a wonderful way and the truth is considering that this is the way of saving sinners wee may stand and wonder that any are saved when you hear of but few that go to heaven and that most people in the world perish and when you come to hear the way of saving man and what it cost and the great difficulty of it you may then stand and wonder that any should bee saved Oh when ever you think of salvation think wisely of this it is a wonderful work of God to save a sinner and the most wonderful work that ever God did do why because the way of saving a sinner is so strange and truly my Brethren then doth God begin to work savingly upon the heart of a sinner when the sinner begins to stand and wonder at the way of saving and till that time it cannot bee conceived that God is beginning savingly to work upon your hearts I appeal to your consciences you that have gone on in a secure dead-hearted way when was ever your hearts taken up in admiring at the way of Gods saving sinners why if it hath done so that is a good evidence that God is beginning to shew himself unto you in a saving way But now if you go on and have but low thoughts about the way of salvation if your hearts do not sanctifie Gods Name in admiring at the wonderful way of salvation know that yet the Gospel is hidden to you certainly you yet do not understand the counsels of God about the way of salvation when your hearts are not taken up with admiring at the glory of God in it A note of Trial. I will but leave this note of Trial with you whether Christ bee revealed to you have your souls wondred at him My Brethen there are divers things that men wonder at in the world and their hearts are taken with them and all because they understand not Christ the great Wonder of the world Wee read in Rev. 17. that when Antichrist had gotten a great deal of power that the world did wonder at him vers 6. When I saw her I wondred with great admiration c. Antichrist having a great deal of power makes men to wonder much at him Now in vers 8. The Beast which thou sawest was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world when they behold the Beast that was and is not and yet is saith hee those whose names are not written the book of life that was written from the foundation of the world they shall make a wonder at Antichrist and at his great power and at the way of his falling too So in Rev. 13.2 3. And the Dragon gave him his power and his seat and great Authority c. When the Dragon had given his power to the Beast that is the Civil state and power had given its power unto Antichrist unto their Church-state so that they had the Civil sword in their own hands and were able by that Civil power to force all to come in to their Dictates now the Text saith That they all wondred at it but who are they in Chap. 17. v. 8. those whose names were not written in the book of life so that carnal hearts now may bee taken with the wondring after the pomp and glory of the word and after the power of Antichrist because Antichrist prevails in the world but they are those whose mames are not written in the book of life those whose names are written in the book of life they will never stand wondring at the excellency of Antichrist because of his outward glory no Those whose names are written in the book of life they have learned to wonder at Jesus Christ not at Antichrist let Jesus Christ bee never so mean and humbled and low and persecuted in his members in his Ordinances yet they see that excellency in Jesus Christ as makes them wonder and it is such a wonder as it doth darken all the wonders in the world besides The Fifth SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ Isaiah 9.6 And his Name shall bee called Wonderful THe point that wee are upon you may remember is this That Jesus Christ is the great Wonder of the world As is his Name so is hee Wonderful 9 Therâ— is yet more wonder in it if wee consider that God the Father was well pleased with all this it pleased him so you may finde in Isa 53.10 It pleased him to bruise him It pleased the Father For God the Father taking such delight
manner of his proceedings in bringing forth all the books of Gods forbearance and the books of mens conscience and the book of the word to proceed with men and Angels for their eternal estate in this Christ will appear then to bee wonderful Thus Christ is wonderful in his humiliation and in his exaltation But further a word or two more Christ wonderful in his working towards his Saints and in the high esteem that the Saints have of him Great and marvellous are thy works O Lord God Almighty who would not fear thee O thou King of Saints The great things that Christ doth in the world towards his Churches are wonderful and the great esteem his Saints have of him they account all things as dung and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ And hee shall bee wonderful eternally hereafter in the highest Heavens and there hee will bee the matter of the wonder of all the Angels and Saints and the matter of the admiration and the praises that God shall have to all eternity it shall bee from what the Angels and Saints do see in Jesus Christ therefore surely hee will bee wonderful in Heaven And then wonderful when the understandings of the Saints shall bee elevated to the highest pitch that they are capable of sometimes wee do wonder at things because of our ignorance ignorant people will wonder almost at any thing at the works of Arts and Sciences they wonder because they know but little but now that that the most understanding man in the world shall wonder at certainly it hath some great excellency in it Now Christ shall not bee the wonder of the Saints onely while they are here in in this world but when they shall bee in Heaven and have their understandings enlightened and enlarged to the height that possibly they can bee enlarged to and yet even then Christ shall bee their wonder and they shall wonder at Christ more than they do now abundantly Certainly that hath real excellency in it indeed and great excellency that the more understanding a man is the more hee shall admire at it perhaps poor people they may wonder at some men for their parts yet if they had any great understanding themselves they would see such a mans parts had little in them but if a man had such parts that the more any man came to understand him the higher in degree their understandings were the more they should wonder certainly this man had a great deal of excellency in him indeed So it is in Christ that when the Saints shall bee elevated to the height they shall so much the more admire at him Further In Heaven Christ shall bee wondred at for ever many things are wondred at for the present I but the wonder quickly ceases wee use to say of strange things they are but of nine daies wonder but Jesus Christ is not onely a wonder at first when the soul comes first to embrace Jesus Christ It is true poor sinners at their first embracing Jesus Christ for the very novelty of those things they see in him they do admire at them they never did understand such things before but the truth is if that grace bee true thou shalt not onely wonder when thou comest to Christ at first at the excellency in him but the longer thou continuest a Beleever the more thou wilt wonder and when thou comest to Heaven after thousand millions of millions of years thou wilt wonder as much at him as thou didst the first moment those men that have made profession of Religion and seem'd to come to Christ they wonder at first hearing of the Gospel like the stony-ground that received the word with joy Oh how wonderfully are they affected at the first hearing of the glorious things of the Gospel but now mark their wonder quickly ceases and their joy ceases within a little while they do not now see so great excellency to admire at it neither have they so great joy but where there is true Faith there the soul doth not onely wonder at Christ at his first comming to Christ but still more and more to all eternity And now my Brethren mee thinks that all wonders in the world should lye by a while upon this wonder of Christs being presented to you and as wee read in Dan. 6. of one that came in a vision and said Gabriel make this man to understand the visioâ— so shall I call to a Gabriel no to Jesus Christ to the Immanuel hee that is the great wonder Oh blessed blessed Redeemer make these souls to understand these things to understand somewhat of this wonder wee have many wonders of our own and wee tell this and that news but O that Christ would but shew himself now to your souls that you may understand somewhat of this wonder that your hearts may bee for ever taken off from wondring at any thing in this world I have seen saith David an end of all perfection but thy Law is very broad So wee may say and the heart would say that were brought to Christ Oh Lord I have seen an end of all the great things in the world but Jesus Christ is very great and glorious indeed it is hee that hath darkened all the glory that there is in the world but now I may say of all these things as it is said of Daniel in chap. 12. vers 10. None of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand these things that are spoken of Christ the wicked they will not understand those that God hath not given unto Jesus Christ will not understand but they will bee content to part with Christ for any thing for all this O detestable wickedness that there is in the heart of man that after this that hath been revealed to you about Christ so much of his glory held forth for the wonder of the world that after this yet thou shouldest prize thy base lusts before all the good and the glory that there is in Jesus Christ certainly that man or woman must needs have the Angels in Heaven and all the Saints to acknowledge the righteous judgement of God in the condemnation of them that hath lived under the Gospel and hath heard what a wonderful Saviour is come into the world if such a one should yet go away and prize a base filthy lust before all the good and glory that there is in Jesus Christ take heed of this certainly if it bee so if any of you bee found at the great day still going on in the waies of known fins this will bee your charge You lived in such a place wherein you heard that my Son was the great wonder of the world and glorious things were shewed you to allure you to beleeve in him and yet hee was nothing in your eyes but your own vile lusts were more glorious in your eyes O just and righteous is the condemnation of this creature for ever certainly the sin of unbeleef the sin
of rejection of Jesus Christ must needs bee a dreadful sin because Jesus Christ is so great a wonder as you have heard The Sixth SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ Isaiah 9.6 And his Name shall bee called Wonderful NOw wee come to the Application of all which is the work of this exercise Application First Certainly Jesus Christ is little known in the world if this bee hee this great wonder of the world Oh how little is Christ known Christ is but a meer Notion and Imagination to most people in the world you heard the very sound of this name and how Christ came into the world to save sinners but I appeal unto your consciences when were your hearts taken with the admiration of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ hath Christ been made the greatest wonder in the world unto you some of you have seen many wondrous works of God some of you perhaps in the Seas or abroad in other Countries or if not there yet you have seen the Heavens and the Earth at which you many times wonder but when did God dart light into your spirits to cause you to see so much of Jesus Christ as made him to bee the great wonder of all his works certainly that soul knows not God nor Christ savingly that knows him not as the wonder of the world it is impossible that such a poor creature as man is should come to understand such great mysteries of godliness as are in Christ in any measure but must needs admire at the glory of that great work and say with acclamation Oh the height and depth and breadth and length of the glory of God his Wisdome and Mercy and Truth and Power Many Notes of Trial there may bee of Faith but I know not any one more familiar than this is at least negatively it must needs bee a true Note that is that there cannot bee Faith without it namely if the heart hath not been taken up with the wonder of Christ so as all the wonders in the world have been darkened in the soul in comparison of Jesus Christ Secondly If Christ bee so great a wonder then O how vile a thing is it for the hearts of men to prefer any base filthy lusts before Jesus Christ when God hath manifested him in that wonderful way unto the children of men and so much of his glory in him yet that their hearts should bee taken off from him and every base lust to bee preferred before him Oh how just must the condemnation of such bee for ever wee may take up that complaint that there was in Psal 106.7 Psal 106.7 Our Fathers understood not thy wonders saith the Psalmist So the truth is as our Fathers did not so few there are that understand the wonders of the Lord in Jesus Christ and therefore every thing is preferred before him with what infinite indignation must God needs look upon that wretched soul that shall prefer every base lust before Jesus Christ I remember a speech of Chrysostome speaking of that Text That our vile bodies shall bee made like unto the glorious body of Christ saith hee were all the world turned into tears yet they were not sufficient to lament the misery of that soul that forsakes Jesus Christ his heart was so much taken with the excellency of Jesus Christ that hee thought it impossible to lament the misery of the creature that should forsake him and so St. Paul having his heart filled with the glorious Mystery of Christ hee breaks forth with this dreadful curse Hee that loveth not the Lord Jesus Christ let him bee Anathema Maran-atha as if St. Paul should say having his spirit filled with the glory of Christ Oh what shall God manifest so much of his glory in his Son and shall base wretched vile creatures prefer their lusts before him and have their hearts taken up with other vain things and not love the Lord Jesus Christ let that soul bee cursed with a bitter curse saith Paul such a soul doth deserve indeed to bee cursed with a bitter and an eternal curse that shall hear so much of Jesus Christ and how God hath revealed himself in that wonderful way in his Son and yet that soul shall not bee willing to forsake a base lust for all the good there is in Jesus Christ let that soul bee cursed with a bitter curse It deserves above all creatures to have the most bitter curse to bee upon it to all eternity certainly the more glory there is in Christ the more dreadful will the condemnation of wicked men bee This is the condemnation that such glorious light is come into the world and men chose darkness rather than light How many hear of Christ and minde little but onely have a noise they hear some strange things of Christ and let them pass by and think there is little reallity in what they hear but the onely real comfort is in satisfying of the flesh in the lusts of it In Act. 13.41 Act. 13.41 wee have an excellent Scripture for the reproof of such that hear the Gospel and minde it not Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold yee despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your daies a work which yee shall in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you It is spoken concerning Christ as appears in the verse before And by him all that beleeve are justified from all things by which yee could not bee justified by the Law of Moses Now then it follows Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish as if hee should say you hear the Gospel about the glorious way that God hath to reconcile sinners to himself to justifie sinners but in the mean time your hearts do close with your own Conceits and your own waies with the Law of Moses and think by your own good meanings and your own good works that you shall do well enough and shall stand before God but saith the Apostle Beware lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold yee despisers and wonder you perhaps when you hear such things declared unto you you account it strange doctrine and you stand and wonder what the meaning of those things should bee but as you wonder so you do despise you condemn it as a strange thing that you were not wont to hear heretofore and as a thing you cannot understand the reason of this is the usual guize of carnal hearts when they hear any doctrine though there bee never so much of God in it and of the Mystery of the Gospel that is revealed in it yet if they understand not the reason of it if it appear to them as a new thing they wonder indeed but they despise withall and condemn it and slight it and pass it over as they did St.
hee is Now wee see Jesus Christ but thorow a glass and yet our hearts are taken with him and wee wonder at him now but oh how shall wee wonder when wee come to see him as hee is when wee shall behold his face in glory wee see now the Lord Christ in his Ordinances but as in a picture As at the first when there are treaties between one Prince and another about a march the first sight that they have of one another it is but by a picture and if they bee delighted with but seeing the picture one of another much more will they bee delighted and inamoured with the person when they come to see it its self so it is with the Saints here all that the Saints can see of Jesus Christ that makes them so wonder at him and to account him to bee the chiefest of ten thousand all is but by seeing of him by a picture Jesus Christ is in Heaven and hee sends us his picture in his Ordinances so St. Paul saith in Gal. 3. concerning the Ministry of the Word that Jesus Christ had been evidently set forth crucified among them Now are your hearts taken with the sight of Christ when you see him as it were in a picture know as Christ said to Nathanael Because I said unto thee I saw thee under the Figg tree beleevest thou thou shalt see greater things than these So thou shalt ere long see Jesus Christ as hee is Wee are now the Sons of God but it appears not what wee shall bee for when hee shall appear wee shall bee like him for wee shall see him as hee is And thou shalt not onely see him but so see him as hee shall never go out of thy sight thou hast but a little glimpse of him now for the present and thy soul rejoyces in that the time is coming when thou shalt see him and thy eyes shall feed upon him for ever the Lord Christ shall go up and down the Heavens as the wonder of the Angels and all the Saints shall bee following wondring at him to all eternity The luster of the deity shall bee shining thorow the humanity of Christ and men and Angels shall stand gazing and wondring at the glory of Jesus Christ to all eternity Oh let us comfort one another with these sayings and in the expectation of the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ And those that shall long for the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ upon the seeing of him here have a good evidence that they do belong to Jesus Christ and shall bee partakers of the wonderful things that Jesus Christ hath wrought and purchased with his own blood And thus wee have opened to you and applied this glorious wonder of Jesus Christ His Name shall bee called Wonderful hee is wonderful in the Word Oh that hee may bee wonderful in your hearts and in your lives THE CONTENTS OF THE EXCELLENCY of the SOUL Matthew 16.26 For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and to lose his own Soul c. THe Text divided into two general parts 1 That there is in every man a Soul a spiritual substance besides what is visible and sensible p. 203 2 That this Soul is more worth than all the world Ibid. The tearms of the Text explained sheweth what is meant by Soul ibid. That every man hath a soul and the necessity of looking to it for five Reasons p. 204 1 Wee see there are Actions in men that are beyond that which concerns the body at all ib. 2 There is a power in man to curb his body to deny himself of that which is most suitable to the body ib. 3 That which the Scripture makes the chief Actions of man to consist in which have any reference to God is such things as are done by somewhat beyond the body ib. 4 When this bodily substance is decaying mouldring away there are many thoughts in a man about his Eternal Estate p. 205 5 For wee know that there are real pains and torments upon a mans spirit ib. Doct. Did they but know the worth of their souls it could not but raise them very high above these empty vanities p. 208 The Excellency of the Soul discovered 1 In its Relations to God p. 208 2 The soul is onely commended by God 209 3 It is under the power of no man to inflict evil upon it ib. 4 It is of large extent and capacity to receive the Image of God ib. For 1 It is that that is capable to have the Image of God stampt upon it ib. 2 It is able to work as God himself works p. 210. 3 It is capable of enjoying communion with God himself ib. 4 It is capable of the communication of those Excellencies that ever God did or will communicate to any p. 211 5 The Contiguity it hath with God himself p. 212 A second Excellency of the Soul discovered in Relation to the Angels p. 213 A third in the Indeavour of it ib. A fourth in the Immortality p. 214 A fifth in the Measure of all other Excellencies p. 215 A sixth in the Price that was paid for it p. 216 A seventh in regard of the Body p. 217 God onely can satisfie the soul p. 219 The Devil himself esteems it p. 220 Use 1 Sheweth that wee ought to look upon every childe of man with some reverence esteem and honour 221 Use 2 How can wee look upon many people without having our hearts raised with the meditation of the dreadfulness of Gods Justice upon men for sin ib. Use 3 It must needs bee an honourable work to bee busied about souls 223 Use 4 Those that have most Soul-Excellency are the most excellent people 226 Use 5 Let us bless God for our souls 228 For hence it is that 1 You are look'd upon by the Angels themselves ib. 2 The Providence of God is more towards you ib. 3 You are such as are capable of all the good Christ hath purchased 229 6 Bless God for Soul-Mercies above all other 231 7 What a pitty is it that God should not have the honour of mens souls 232 8 Take heed of dishonouring these souls of yours 233 Question How may a man dishonour his soul Answer 236 1 When hee lives idlely and makes no use of it ib. 2 When hee emploies it about low and mean things 237 3 When hee defiles his soul 238 4 When hee make it a drudge to his body ib. 5 When hee grudges the time and cost hee spends upon it 239 6 When hee laies not up provision for it against an evil day 240 7 When hee thinks to satisfie it with any thing but God ibid. Next Use shews how to put honour upon our soul ib. And that 1 By having your thoughts often upon them ib. 2 By keeping your bodies under them 241 3 By adorning your souls with beauty 242 4 By providing for them ib. 5 By imploying them in things suitable to them ib. 6 By bringing them to
him as musick good cheer friends estate yet there is that horror and torment in his spirit sometimes through the consciousness of the guilt of sin that hee is not able to bear nay were there not somewhat beyond this bodily substance certainly this could never bee verily then there is a spirit in man and hence therefore you see that there is somewhat doth concern you all beyond your present outward and bodily condition Let no man think that hee hath provided well for himself when hee hath provided mony and house and lands and good chear and cloaths and such kinde of things do not think that thou art happy in that for these are things that concern thy outward man there is still another substance in thee that thou art to look after that takes little notice of such things as these are Neither do you think that you have provided well for your children when you have provided an estate an inheritance somewhat to leave them know that there is another substance in your children besides that outward bodily substance you look upon Do you see a fine feature comely parts comely countenance and your children finely cloathed I but know there is a spirit in that childe besides that bodily substance that you are to look to Certainly man is very far fallen from God that none scarce takes notice of his own spirit We do not only naturally live without a God in the world so as to know little of that infinite divine Spirit that is the first being of all things but wee live without the knowledge of our own spirits of our own souls Truly few men there are that know their own souls As a man by his eye sees things that are without him but he doth not see his own eye so by the soul wee come to understand many things without us but yet how little do wee understand of our own souls well might the Psalmist therefore complain and say in Psal 49.20 Man that is in honour and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish God did indeed make man at first in honour but now hee is become like the very beasts hee doth minde little or nothing more than the very beasts themselves hee blesses himself if hee hath but content for the body for a while as if there were nothing else concerned him I appeal unto your consciences in this thing whether the uttermost sphere of your thoughts have been any further than meerly within the compass of bodily content If you should come to a beast and talk to it about Trades and titles of honour and Arts and Sciences and such kind of things why what is all this to a beast Give a beast hay or corn and such kinde of things that are suitable to it and it mindes that more than it doth any high notions that you are able to tell it and truly thus it is with sensual men even as the Atheist who saith in his heart That there is no God so a kinde of Atheism there is in their hearts to say they have no souls that there is no difference between them and the brute-beasts hence it is that they savour spiritual things so little Tell carnal men of the excellency of the Name of God Tell them of Jesus Christ how wonderful hee is of the wonderful mysteries of the Gospel and of the things of eternal life they are dry things to such a one hee savours them not Tell him of money and meat and drink and sports and cloaths and such kinde of things they are suitable unto him there is some savour in them but for the great things of the Kingdome of God and of eternal life there is no savour at all in them and thus far is man fallen from God and lives for the most part as if so bee hee were capable of no higher good but meerly to eat and drink and live for a while here like a beast Thus doth the Devil gull and deceive most of us Now my brethren this is a work that I have undertaken and it concerns as much the Ministers of God to shew unto you what you are your selves what God hath made you as to shew you what God is and what Christ is that you may come to understand your selves you can never come to know your reference unto God untill you come to know what God hath made you this is therefore my scope in this Scripture to shew unto you what God hath made you and that you have souls within you and souls of exceeding great worth I will not say infinite for none is infinite but God himself but more worth than all the world than all the creatures that God hath made except the Angels in heaven The souls of the children of men are most excellent creatures did but a man or woman consider seriously that they have souls in them beyond their bodies it would raise them up a little But this next Point that is the main and principal Doct 2 Did they but know the worth of their souls it could not but raise them very high above those poor empty vanities that they have minded all this while Therefore there is in man not onely a soul but that that is more worth than all the world that if it should bee lost that man that gained the whole world would bee a great loser in his bargain Know therefore this that there is not the poorest man or woman living nay not the poorest childe that lyes begging a crust of bread at your door but this childe hath a soul in it that is more worth than heaven and earth this poor ragged tattered childe that lyes in rags I say crying at your threshold and begging a peece of bread it hath a soul in it that hath greater excellency than the Sun Moon and Stars than all the Heavens than the Sea than the Earth put all the creatures in the world together that are under Angels the spirit of this poor childe hath more excellency in it than all these things and that is the thing that I am to make out unto you Why natural life hath more excellency in it than any creature that hath no life I remember Austin saith of a Flye because it hath life that it hath more excellency in it than the Sun its self because though the Sun bee a glorious creature yet it hath no life in it life in the meanest creature hath a greater excellency than any thing else that hath not life But now the soul hath the highest natural life that is and capable of the highest happiness that any creature is capable of and therefore more excellent than all the world But that wee shall come too in its order The excellency of the soul may bee discovered first In the relation it hath to God The Excellency of the Soul discovered 1 In its relation to God God doth challenge a peculiar relation to the spirits of men and therefore in Heb. 12.9 â—od is called the Father
him but to keep his body from stinking yet know whatsoever thou art though now a sinful wretched vile creature and art deprived of the chief excellency that thy soul is capable of yet that soul of thine that thou hast is capable of the highest good thing that an infinite God hath to communicate Oh that God by your owning of this would a little but raise your spirits to think that you have been deluded and deceived all this while this is the excellency now of your souls in reference unto God Fifthly And yet there is in the next place A further reference that your souls have to God and that is the contiguity as I may so speak with God himself that is of all things that are here in this world the soul of man it is that that is next unto God himself Next to God you will say what do you mean when you say that the soul of man it is contiguous unto God I mean this that God hath made all creatures for himself but hee hath made them all for himself to come to him by man hee hath made all these inferiour things in the world for man and man for himself and so God comes to attain the end of all things in this world by man so that man is next unto God God would have the glory of all the creatures in the world but how by man saith God All these things that I have made I will have them bee in subjection to man for so they were in their first Creation and as I shall appear in all other of my works so shall this creature honour mee and fear mee and admire mee and magnifie mee upon the taking notice of and receiving in that good that there is in any creature All the goodness there is in the creature it comes to mee but how shall I have the glory of it all why I will make a creature that shall bee as it were between mee and other creatures that shall partake of the nature of other creatures but so as hee shall have a certain kinde of divine Beam of my excellency and shall bee able to take notice of mee and to receive in my goodness what hee doth receive in of the sweetness of the creature hee shall receive it in as my sweet and my goodness Incoms from mee and so hee shall reflect it upon my face again so that mans soul is like a Glass as you see a Glass that takes the beams of the Sun that shines upon it and casts it toward the Sun again as upon a wall the beams of the Sun comes into the Glass and then the Glass can reflect it this way or that way So the glory of God shines in the world and mans soul is as the glass and when it was in its first purity was as a clear chrystal glass and received in all the beams of Gods glory all the glory of God I say that did shine in all his creatures was received into mans soul as the beams of the Sun into a glass and now man was able to reflect the glory of these beams upon the face of God again and to return all again to God for as all things that are good come from him so all good should return again to him but now how comes the Lord to have an injoyment as it were of his goodness that hee lets out from himself How comes hee to have it return back again to himself Why the way of his returning it is by the Angels in heaven and the spirits of men these are the two excellent creatures that God doth make use of to fetch in all the glory that hee hath from all his creatures that they in an active way should reflect it all upon the face of God again certainly the soul of man is of an excellent nature then that is contiguous with God himself next unto him It is no matter whether a man bee rich or poor learned or unlearned yet hee hath a soul that is capable of this Yet further For the excellency of the soul The excellency of the soul discovered in its relation to Angels as it is excellent in relation to God so in relation to the Angels It is of the same kinde of nature that they are of they are spirits and so is the soul of man yea it hath the very same name with God himself God is a Spirit and so is the soul of man it is of the very same nature with the Angels and so is able to converse with them as well as with God himsâ—lf but for the way and manner of converse with those spirits that is little revealed in the word and therefore wee can say littâ—e of it And further The excellency of mans soul 3 The excellency of the soul in 1 Indowments of it it will appear in the excellent endowments of it Look upon the soul of man in his fallen estate and what admirable endowments some men have as in the excellent knowledge that some men have of Arts and Sciences the knowledge of the heavens it is a very gâ—orious thing that they are able to ascend up in their understanding and to know all the motions of the heavens and can tell you to a minute of an hour what kinde of motions there will bee as appears plainly by eclipses The arts of Navigation that they can compass the world up and down that way If it were but in these sensible things that wee see so much art in as in these mighty buildings which shows that a man out of a deal of rubbish can raise and erect such a building as this is this shows the excellency of mans soul and if there bee so much excellency in it naturally thâ—t it can do such things then what can it bee raised unto and inabled unto by a divine power What can it do when it is inlarged by grace and made partaker of the Divine nature 4. The souls excellency demonstrated from its immortality Luke 12.4 5. And further The excellency of the soul appears in the immortality of it Fear not them that can kill the body and can do no more Certainly if the soul were mortal as the body is then that man that kills the body kills the soul too and therefore wee may fear a man not onely because hee can kill the body but because hee can kill the soul but saith Christ Fear not them that can kill the body and can do no more The soul is as an Eagle when a man dyes that gets out of the Cage and so it flyes away saith Stephen when hee was to dye Act. 7.59 Lord Jesus receive my spirit Why if so bee that his spirit had dyed with his body he need not have said Lord Jesus receive my spirit Phâ—l 1.23 And so St. Paul I am in a streight and know not what to do whether to live or dye but hee thought it was better for him to bee dissolved it was not to bee destroyed
bee thou that art a carnal Master mayst see thy poor servant taken up to God and thou thy self shut out or it may bee the carnal Father or Mother may see their childe saved and yet they themselves lost Oh this will bee a sad aggravation of their loss And thus you have heard the dreadful loss of the soul together with the aggravations thereof in these ten particulars Now for the Use Is it so that the loss of the soul eternally is so dreadful a loss as you have heard it is Oh then let every one here bless God for their souls that their souls are not thus lost It might have been so long ere this time when such a kinsman of thine dyed or thy fellow-servant or when such a neighbour or acquaintance of thine dyed if thou hadst but dyed when they dyed thy soul it may bee had been eternally lost This I can assure you that naturally you are all lost and what makes the difference between thy soul and the condition of a lost soul as you have heard but onely the meer mercy of God Oh therefore now bless God for his mercy unto thee that thy soul is not as yet a lost soul and think thus with thy self Lord if these things bee true and so dreadful to hear of Oh then what would be my misery if it should prove that I should bee the person made sensible thereof by experiencing the misery I hear of to bee the miserable condition of a lost soul The Scripture doth say concerning the joy and happiness of the Saints That eye hath not seen nor ear heard 1 Cor. 2.9 neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what their happiness shall bee that shall bee saved And the like may bee said of the misery of the souls that are eternally lost and the Scripture doth say That if our Gospel bee hid 2 Cor. 4.3 it is hid to them that are lost I beseech you therefore remember what hath been spoken concerning the condition of loâ—t souls and lay to heart what hath been spoken out of this Text lest within a little time you feel what hath been spoken to bee a truth and so bee forced to cry out True it is I heard such a day out of such a text what was the miserable condition of a soul eternally lost but now I finde it by experience to bee true and the one half I now feel I could not then conceive And know the reason my Brethren why we lay the misery of lost souls thus before you it is to this end that none of you might be thus lost And it is a blessed thing for you to hear these things for how many are there that have lost their souls which till they were thus lost never so much as heard any thing about the loss of their souls which if they had who knows what might have been done by them for the saving of their souls Beloved such a subject as this cannot be spoken unto you without trembling for certainly this subject will bee much adding to the prevention of the loss or else it will mightily aggravate the loss of your souls if ever they are eternally lost therefore all I have at present to counsel you to is to lay these things to your hearts seriously as also to bless God for your souls that as yet they are not in this dreadful eternally lost condition The Fifth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Use IF the loss of our souls bee so dreadful as you have heard bless God that your souls are not gone and thus lost as hath been opened unto you It may bee thou hast lost thy husband or thy wife or thy childe or thy friend or a great part of thine estate but blessed bee God that thy soul is not lost In a great fire where men use to lose most if not all that they have when a man comes to view what hee hath lost and hee findes hee hath lost this thing that was in such a parlour and that that was in such a chest but if at length he comes to finde that such a Jewel that hee had in the house or such a bagg of gold in which most of his estate consisted that that is not lost though all the lumber all the houshold-stuff is lost that comforts him in all other of his losses So it should bee here whatever wee lose wee are to bee comforted in this that our souls are not gone and lost It is a notable Scripture in 1 Pet. 4. vers last Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator As if the Apostle should say you are like to meet with great sufferings you may likely bee deprived of all you have of your estates and of all your comforts and may come to suffer much yet commit the keeping of your souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator Why they might have said but what shall become of other things if storms and tempests and sufferings come what shall become of our estates what shall become of our livelihoods and of our bodies why saith the Apostle as for them for your estates for your bodies it may bee they may perish you are not so much to look after them but commit the keeping of your souls unto him as unto a faithful Creator The Apostle here exhorts them what to do in times of sufferings and by what hee doth express hee doth imply that they should take no care for outward estate and body it is enough that your souls are well commit the keeping of your souls to him as unto a faithful Creator wee have enough if that bee safe You know in time of danger as fires and other times if a man hath any precious thing hee carries that presently to some special friend and commits the keeping of that to him his writings and such things wherein his estate is most So saith the Apostle in the time of publick danger Take care to commit the keeping of your souls to him as unto a faithful Creator and you are well enough That is the first Secondly If the loss of the soul bee so dreadful a loss Oh let us bless God then for Jesus Christ without whom all our souls had been eternally lost never a soul in the world but must have perished unto all eternity had not Jesus Christ come into the world to bee the great Saviour of souls All the Angels in Heaven and men in the world could never have saved one soul now Christ saw this and his bowels did even yearn towards so many thousands of precious souls and rather than they should perish hee was content to come and make his own soul to bee an offering for sin Isa 53.10 the soul of Christ was made an
to himself as ever was I think since the beginning of the world and the Devil knowing that hee could not get them to turn to lewdness and prophaneness presently again therefore hee labours to put them upon turning all their Religion into questions about controversal things which they could not be able to mannage and understand and so puts them off the thoughts of that great question What they should do to bee saved But O labour to inquire and to bee satisfied and resolved in that question betimes Secondly If you ask this question as you are to do it betimes so do it earnestly do it with a great deal of fervency of spirit as a matter of infinite concernment so in Matth. 10.17 When hee was gone forth into the way there came one running and kneeled to him and asked him good Master what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life Hee came running with a great deal of fervency and earnestness about the business and the fervency that youth hath should bee manifested in this in being earnest in the inquiring after the way of salvation people that are elder they think they are well enough and they have not lived so long they think as not to know how to bee saved all this while and therefore will not enquire so that their spirits do not boil with that fervency and heat as young ones do hee came running to Christ Thirdly If you do inquire inquire sincerely with a heart truly willing to do whatsoever God shall make known to you wee are this day about this great question what a man should do to save his soul I suppose many of you would bee glad to know what should bee done and mee-thinks every one is ready to ask such a question as this is But before wee come to answer it let mee speak to you as in the Name of God do you desire to know it with a heart truly willing to yeeld to whatsoever should out of Gods Word bee revealed to you put this to your own hearts before wee come to give any answer otherwise what do you hear this day if there bee not such a heart as this that you can appeal to God and profess that whatsoever this day the Lord shall reveal unto meâ— from his Word that I should do to save my soul here I am and profess to yeeld my self up to the truths of God if your hearts bee so fram'd then wee may have incouragement to come and shew you what should bee done Fourthly And you must inquire constantly too if you should not bee satisfied at one time never bee at rest till you are satisfied do not ask what I should do and come to hear what you should do and then pass it over and let every little thing take this out of your minds again but when you begin to bee inquiring after the way of salvation resolve that you will never give rest to your souls till you have gotten this question answered to you And there is a great deal of reason that wee should ask this question in such a way For Reas First Every one of your souls are in a lost condition naturally therefore it concerns you to bee inquiring after the way of salvation Secondly The salvation of a soul is the most difficult thing in the world if ever thy soul bee saved it must cost more than Heaven and Earth is worth to save it it is not therefore such a trifling business the saving of souls This I dare avouch as in the Name of God that the soul of the poorest girl or servant that is here if it bee saved it must cost more than Heaven and Earth is worth to save it therefore there is a difficulty in it Thirdly and lastly There are but few that shall bee saved there is nothing more clear in the Word of God than that that there are but few souls that shall bee saved wee cannot tell as I have said that this or the other soul cannot bee saved wee are not to enter into Gods counsels concerning particular souls but this wee may say Matth. 7.13 compared with Luk. 13.24 and have warrant from the Word to say that there are but few souls that shall bee saved Strive to enter in at the strait gate for strait is the gate and narrow is the way and few there bee that enter And upon that ground Christ himself raises that exhortation therefore strive therefore inquire you after the way of salvation with all your might if there should a voice come from Heaven at this time and say there are but few in this Congregation shall go out alive it would put every one to a stand every one would think with himself Oh Lord must I die here why there is this voice from Heaven that there are but few souls in the world but shall perish eternally then certainly it is not for us to bee quiet but it concerns us to bee restless in our conditions and every one to say what is it I what is it I when Christ did but say that one of you shall betray mee every one was inquiring Is it I Is it I but when it is said that there shall bee but few saved the flock of Christ is but a little flock the words in the original are two diminutives and may be translated a little little flock Oh it concerns you all to look about you But now these things being premised for the putting of you on to the enquiring after salvation with all your might now wee come to the answer of this question What wee should do that our souls may bee saved And in the answer to this wee must premise further First There is nothing that any man can do that saves him there must bee somewhat higher that what hee can do and yet God requires that hee should do what hee can do Indeed what any man can do of himself yea or by assistance from common grace yea wee will say further by assistance from any grace whatsoever though it may help forward his salvation by an ordinance of God yet it cannot be the thing that saves him the thing that saves him is higher than what is done by the creature it is what is done by Christ or what is suffered by Christ it is that that saves the soul and not I say what is done or suffered by us But yet now wee must not make such a vain and foolish and dangerous inference that therefore nothing is to bee done because the things that wee do are not the things that save us there is a great deal of evil comes from men and womens presuming to draw consequences they think that if this bee true the other will follow and so through the weakness of their understandings Ephes 2.1 John 15.5 they come to draw dangerous consequences from true positions Why wee are dead in sins by nature and without mee yee can do nothing saith Christ upon this here is this consequence drawn by
you that venture the loss of your souls for getting the world though you could possibly get all the world considering what hath been said it is a goodly price do you not see what a goodly price is given for your soul if these things bee but made real to you it would bee of marvelous use to help against any temptation to any thing of this world Now you have seâ—n what darknesse is upon all things how they are all but glittering vanities and not worth the venturing of the soul for take heed of hazarding your souls upon any of these things you will curse your selves hereafter when it is too late Oh cursed wretch that I was that I should yet venture upon sinful waies that I was told would in-danger the eternal destruction of my soul and notwithstanding I heard what a vanity was in all these things yet for such a vanity I was drawn aside to lose mine own soul well you see the upshot of all that to venture your souls for the gain of the world it is to venture the loss of pearls for pebble stones to venture Gold for dirt yea for dirt that hath a great deal of poison in it for so it hath all these things in the world being separated from God they are not onely dirt but there is poison in them Now then these things being laid together you see the point cleared and all that doth remain it is but to binde up this in several Uses and Applications If all these things bee so poor and mean what use are wee to make of all these Meditations and Considerations USE Then for Use If these things bee so in the first place wee learn not to envy at the prosperity of ungodly men whatever it be let them ruffle it out for a while here in this world and carry all before them let man have his day here in this world there is no great cause to envy him if hee bee going on in such a way as hee is like to lose his soul poor miserable wretched creature that hee is better ten thousand times hee had never been born Poor people that are wicked as many are they have the curse of God mingled in water and rich men that are wicked they have the curse of God like poison in their Wine now wee know of the twain the poison will work more strongly in Wine than in Water and so of both certainly ungodly rich men that have most of the world are the most miserable creatures for they have more to answer for than others have and their estates are usually fuel for their lusts and so their condition is worse than the condition of any beggar that begs his bread from door to door And certainly there is no wicked rich man upon the earth but if so bee that hee dye so hee will hereafter curse the time that ever hee had an estate and wish hee had been a beggar and gone begging up and down in his raggs for then hee had not had so much to answer for before God O hee is not a man to bee envied at What man is there that would envy at a malefactour condemned to dye though hee have on brave cloaths would not any one of you rather save your Russet plain suit or a Leather suit than a suit of Velvet and go to bee executed in it I have read of Chrysostom who being invited to a feast as hee was a going hee met with one a going to execution and it fell out that the way to execution was a very fair way but the way that lead him to his friends house it was a dirty Lane and hee makes this meditation of it Oh how much better is it to go in this dirty Lane to go and rejoyce with my friend than in a fair plain way and go as the other doth to execution hee was not willing to go his way though it were a fair and plain way but rather to go his own though a foul and dirty hee considered that the end of the way was different So do not look much upon men and women what their present condition is but look what their end is like to bee and do not envy them I suppose you cannot but have heard the story of a poor souldier that having a command from his General not to touch any thing upon pain of death yet coming by a Vine takes a bunch of Grapes the General being very strict hee condemns him to dye because of his disobedience and as hee was going to execution hee went eating the bunch of Grapes his fellow-souldier rebuk'd him but hee gives him this answer I pray yee do not envy my Grapes to mee for they cost mee dear So truly wee have little cause to envy the men of the world their Grapes that they have their mirth their merry-meetings whatsoever they have for it is like to cost them dear it is like to cost them their souls they indanger their eternal perishing and therefore there is no cause at all to envy such David indeed was troubled a while when hee saw the prosperity of the ungodly but when hee went into the Sanctuary Psal 73. there hee understood their end Oh my Brethren you are come into the Sanctuary you are come now in the exercise of the Word thus to hear what is like to become of ungodly men that injoy all the world for their portion their end is like to bee the loss of their souls eternally do not envy them Thou dost envy them and suppose that God should say to thee well it shall bee with thee as with them that is you shall have as much as they and there is all the good you are like ever to have from mee would you not see cause to give a dreadful skreek if such a message should come from Heaven to you what a foolish thing were it for a childe that hath a loving Father and a great Inheritance that hee expects from him because hee sees a stranger that comes and sits at the Table and have better provision than hee hath to grumble and grutch because hee hath not such provision made for him every day Oh hee hath no cause to do so for the Inheritance is reserved for him God hee is a rich Housholder and hee can give such things as these are to his enemies as wee speak of but the Inheritance is reserved for thee envy not the ungodly in the enjoyment of the world for the truth is their portion it is but very little it is but a poor pittance for an immortal soul to have though hee should have all the world It is true wee should bee sensible of our unworthiness of the least crum of any good thing yet though wee should bee sensible of our unworthiness yet wee should not bee satisfied with having all the world for our portion It was a most admirable speech of Luther when divers of the Princes of Germany made much of him hee began to bee afraid
and woman thou art not undone for thy soul is safe Lord strike saith Luther strike onely pardon my sin And my Brethren well may you bee incouraged to undergo any difficulties and to bear the loss of the comforts of this world for the saving of your souls for indeed the Lord hath granted to us the way of salvation of souls at an easier rate than our Forefathers had If I should but tell you the way that many of our Forefathers had for the saving of their souls and many of the Saints of God in former times you would have said then that it was a difficult way to save souls and go to Heaven As I will but give you an instance of one man and another woman how hardly they came to salvation That blessed Martyr Bensesius see but what a way hee had to Heaven for profession of Christian Religion The Persecutors came to him and because hee would not deny the Truth they strike his body in all his members out if joynt and when they had done that they make wounds in all parts of his body then thirdly they bring Iron combs sharpened and so rake upon his body thus wounded and when they had done that they laid him upon an Iron grate and with instruments of Iron open those wounds and after that they melt hot burning salt and strew it upon those wounds being opened and then they come with hot Irons and fear him with those hot Irons and after that dragg him by the heels into a dungeon where they had prepared sharp shells and there hee lay and perished here is one that went to Heaven upon hard terms you will say but God calls not you to do so but to deny your selves in some base lust in some sinful and ungodly way in something that you may spare that you may spare as well as the water out of your shooes as wee use to say And then of a woman that was of Noble birth and yet shee being convented for Religion and answering boldly and resolutely and would not yeeld after many temptations and fair speeches they dragged her by the hair of the head from the seat of Judicature and having dragged her they pull off one joynt from another and having done that get the teeth and claws of wilde beasts and rake her flesh from the bones and having afterwards done that then they came with hot Irons and Torches and burning flames one of one side and another of another side and scorch and burn her to death in such a way as that was and yet shee goes on constantly so bee it shee might save her soul shee was willing to indure all this misery wee do not know what God may call you to before you die many of our Brethren have suffered very hard things and God may call you to hard things Oh that this Text might prepare you And now my Brethren as it hath been a means to carry others thorow temptations and many difficulties in this world so if you would lay but these truths to your hearts and if you cannot think of every particular passage yet do but think of the Text and take but this one Note and that is that whereas God calls others to spend their strength in suffering so great evils to save their souls bee you willing to spend the strength that God spares you in doing in serving spend your strength in active obedience so much the more by how much the less you are called to spend it in the way of passive obedience that so you may have cause to bless God for ever in Heaven when you shall come to see soul and body to bee blessed and saved eternally you may bless God for ever in Heaven for revealing such a truth and setting home such a Text What shall it profit a man though hee gain the whole world and lose his soul and what shall a man give in exchange for his soul FINIS Books printed for and sold by Thomas Parkhurst at the three Crowns over against the great Conduit at the lower end of Cheapside Folios A Practical Commentary or an Exposition with Observations Reasons and Uses upon the first Epistle General of John By that pious and worthy Divine Master John Cotâ—on Pastor of Bostox in New-England A Learned Commentary or Exposition upon the first Chapter of the second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians being the substance of many Sermons formerly Preached at Grayes-Inne London by that Reverend and judicious Divine Richard Sibbs D. D. sometimes Master of Katherine-Hall in Cambridge and Preacher to that Honourable Society Published for the publick good and benefit of the Church of Christ by Tho. Manton B. D. and Preacher of the Gospel at Stoake-Newington near London 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Divine Characters in two parts acutely distinguishing the more secret and undiscerned differences between 1. The Hypocrite in his best dress of seeming vertue and formal duties And the true Christian in his real graces and sincere obedience As also between the blackest weeds of daily infirmities of the truly godly eclipsing saving grace and the reigning sins of the unregenerate that pretend unto that godliness they never had By that late burning and shining Lamp Mr. Samuel Crook B. D. late Pastor of Wrington in Sommerset A Commentary upon the Divine Revelation of the Apostle and Evangelist John By David Pareus sometimes Professour of Divinity in the University of Heidelburg And specially some things upon the twentieth Chapter are observed by the same Author against the Millenaries Translated out of the Latine into English by Elias Arnold Quartoes A Theatre of flying Infects wherein especially the manner of right ordering the Bee is excellently described with discourses Historical and Physical concerning them with a Second part of Meditations and Observations Theological and Moral in three Centuries upon the same subject by Samuel Purchas M. A. Peoples Need of a living Pastor at the Funeral of Mr. Iohn Frost M. A. by Mr. Zach. Crofton 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Saint's Worthiness and the World's worthlesness both opened and declared in a Sermon preached at the Funeral of that eminently Religious and highly honoured Knight Sir Nathanael Barnardiston Aug. 26. 1653. By Samuel Faireclough Pastor of the Congregation at Ketton Holy things for holy men or the Lawyers Plea non-suited c. In some Christian reproof and pitty expressed towards M. Prynn's book intituled The Lord's Supper briefly Vindicated by S. S. Minister of the Gospel An Antid te against H. Haggar's poysonous Pamphlet intituled The Foundation of the Font discovered or a reply wherein his audaciousness and sophistry in arguing against Infant-Baptism Discipleship Church-membership is detected his cavils against M. C. M. B. and M. Hall are answered c. By A. Houghton Minister of the Gospel at Prees in Salop. Large Octavoes Four profitable Treatises very useful for Christian practice viz. The Killing power of the Law The Spiritual Watch The New Birth Of the Sabbath By the
you see the excellency of Christ in being the character of the Father and having the Divine Attributes in him in another manner than any creature in the world could have that is a meer creature 2 And then further this personal excellency of Christ will appear when wee consider how Christ comes to have those excellencies that hee hath them all by vertue of the personal union The humane Nature alone it is but a creature if you take it distinct But now this humane nature is filled with all excellency from the Father and indeed the Father is the fountain of all firstly these excellencies that Christ hath they come from the personal union immediately now God unto other creatures gives them as it were of bounty out of himself hee doth confer from himself hee puts forth an act of power for the bestowing of such and such excellencies upon such creatures but when the humane nature of Christ was to bee filled with such excellencies it is by taking of the humane nature of Christ into himself as wee say concerning sight Philosophers have a dispute whether it bee by taking in the species or by sending out something from the eye This may a little resemble this great mystery there are some things that God bestows by sending out from himself other excellencies hee bestows by taking in to himself Now all other creatures Angels and men but onely the humane nature of Christ have all the excellency that they have by Gods sending out from himself but now all the indowments of Jesus Christ and all his excellencies hee hath them all from God taking of him into himself that is in a pesonal union not taking him into communion with himself as his Saints but taking him into a personal union and so comes to have all excellencies in another manner than any other creature can possibly have Thirdly Christ is wonderful take him God and man in this That all his personal excellencies that hee hath depend upon himself hee is Independent the excellency that Christs humane nature hath it is I say Independent in this that is it depends upon his person there is no dependence of the excellency that Christ hath but upon the very person of Christ himself all depends upon him for hee saith of himself That hee hath life in himself so you have it in Joh. 5. Joh. 5.27 it is spoken concerning Christs excellency there For as the Father hath life in himself so hath hee given to the Son to have life in himself Indeed the Son is from the Father by an eternal generation but now though hee bee firstly from the Father yet now the Son hath life in himself yea and eternally hee had life in himself and so what excellency the humane nature hath it doth depend upon its own person which is a higher and a more glorious way of having excellency than it is possible for any thing else to have 4 And then in the fourth place hence Christ even God man hee comes to bee worthy of Divine honour Divine honour is due to Jesus Christ that is God-man there is no creature can partake of Divine honour by coming never so near to God but onely the humane nature of Christ being personally united Let a childe of God a Saint bee never so holy because hee comes to partake of so much excellency of holiness hee is not therefore to partake of Divine honour nor an Angel but now Christ God and man the very humane nature joyned with the Divine in one personal union comes to share in the Divine honour that is due to him both God and man and it is a wonderful Work of God to bring that that is in its self but a creature to come to have a share in Divine honour 5 And then Christ is wonderful in this that hence hee is an infinite object of the Delight of his Father not onely as hee is eternally begotten of the Father but as hee is both God and man Matth. 3.17 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased I am pleased fully in him Jesus Christ is an object even adequate to the very heart of God the Father Oh how should wee take content in him certainly if hee bee so excellent as hee is as to give full satisfaction to God the Father then hee may very well give full satisfaction to your souls Yea and God the Father manifests his satisfaction so fully in him that hee hath made him to bee heir of all things Heb. 1.2 and therefore hee is said to bee the beginning of all things all do subsist by him Yea and further there is that satisfaction that the Father hath in him that God the Father did make all things for his sake I say all things in the world are made for the sake of Jesus Christ Angels are made for his sake and this world and seas all the work that ever God did or will do to all eternity it was for the sake of Jesus Christ that God the Father might honour himself in Jesus Christ that Text is very full for that and wee need no more in Col. 1.16 All things were created by him and for him So that God hath a higher end in creating the world than you think for God did not onely create that hee might manifest that hee was a mighty God and merciful and bountiful and the like but God had a higher end when hee made the world it was to advance his Son when hee made the Angels God would never have made them but for the honour of his Son Oh what infinite cause have wee to honour Jesus Christ Oh how happy are they that live to the honour of Jesus Christ by whom God may have glory beyond a natural way did you consider this that you were made for the honour of Jesus Christ and the honour that God the Father would have from you is this that you should live to the honour of his Son and all other honour that you give unto God except it bee in order to his Son it is not accepted I say whatsoever honour any man or woman doth endeavour to give to God is not accepted of him but in relation to the honour of Jesus Christ therefore if you look at God in a meer natural way and honour and worship him never so much as the heathens did all this would not do but now that honour that God hath in reference to his Son when a poor sinner is sensible of the breach that sin hath made between him and the infinite God and comes to see Jesus Christ and seeks to advance Jesus Christ by faith I saith God here is the honour that I would have And therefore when all the elect ones that were given to Jesus Christ to redeem when they are all converted and brought to Jesus Christ the world will fall about our ears why because saith God I have the end that I made the world for and now I have brought in all
bee a wilful loss This is a great perplexity to a man in this world when as hee doth see hee is undone and that meerly through his own wilfulness and this will bee the aggravation of the souls loss that one day it shall plainly appear unto them that it was through their own wilfulness Yee will not come to mee saith Christ John 5.40 that you might have life and yee will not indure to hear of the danger yee are in of being lost eternally Oh how wilful must the loss of those souls bee that will not give ear to hear of the danger their souls are in of being thus lost And O how wilfully do you run on in wicked courses which God hath given command unto the contrary in his Word and how do you wilfully cast off the means that God hath appointed for your salvation But know yee perish wilfully if yee wilfully reject or neglect to improve the means that God hath given for the saving of your souls I say that man or woman that shall wilfully cast off those truths of God that should save them that man or woman doth wilfully perish Well but you will say you do not sin wilfully but you are overtaken with sin To which I answer that the sin which a man doth do which outward carnal motives would bee a prevailing means to him to perswade him not to do yet all that is in Gods Word given to perswade to the contrary doth not hee sins wilfully and if hee perish hee will bee found to perish wilfully It may bee you will further say you are ignorant and therefore if wee did know better wee would do better I answer yet it is wilful because you are wilfully ignorant and therefore your loss is wilful The sixth aggravation of the loss of the soul it is this because the eternal loss of the soul will bee a great loss for a little matter For a man to venture the loss of his soul for the gaining of a Kingdome hee would think it something but yet the Text tells us hee would bee a great loser but if so great a loser to gain a Kingdome for his soul O then how great an evil will it bee for a man or woman to lose their souls for trifles You do not got the world for your souls but perhaps you do venture the loss of your souls for the getting of a groat or sixpence or twopence or it may bee upon the fear of the displeasure or anger of your Master or Mistress you will venture the loss of your souls in telling a lye to excuse you or it may bee for the satisfying of a base lust one quarter of an hour thou wilt venture the eternal loss of a precious soul more worth than ten thousand worlds Did you never go into the place where condemned persons were and ask them what they are there for why it may bee some of them will say but for a small matter it may bee the undue gaining of two or three shillings and now my life must go for it So many lose their souls even for trifles for nothing for a base lust which is worse than nothing the consideration of which will make it the more dreadful Seventhly The loss of the soul will bee very dreadful upon this consideration because many will lose their souls that are very nigh to the saving of their souls I say the nearer a man or woman doth come to the saving their souls and yet lose them the loss of the soul upon that consideration will bee the more dreadful to them and it is thus with many that have many good workings in and upon their hearts so that they are in a very good forwardness unto the everlasting salvation of their souls and yet there doth come some lust that doth drive them back again The loss of the souls of hypocrites therefore will bee dreadful to consider I that was in so fair a way to salvation in the use of means and content to leave so many evil waies and yet that I should have one that I would not leave and for this have I lost my soul I that was contented to take up so many duties and yet by my hearts embracing of one sinful lust to lose my soul as Herod heard John Baptist gladly and hee reformed many things and yet hee had one sin that hee would not part withall Those that are the nearest the salvation of their souls and yet lost at last this will bee a great aggravation of the misery thereof An eighth aggravation of the loss of the soul is this The consideration that they have lost their souls and that so as that they have nothing in lieu of them they shall not onely lose their souls but they shall even lose the thing for which they did venture the loss of their souls As for example if a man should have his heart so set upon a trifle as to lose his whole estate for it and after hee hath lost his estate for it hee should lose that thing for which hee lost his estate too this would aggravate the loss of his estate much more Just so if you do loss your souls for the world or for pleasure if your souls perish I say yee shall both lose your souls and that thing bee it what it will for which you ventured and lost your souls And thou shalt have no more pleasure nor I content than those that did not venture the loss of their souls for it The ninth aggravation of the loss of the soul is The shame that shall bee put upon those souls that shall be lost that perish eternally As when thy acquaintance thy neighbours that dwelt next unto thee that knew thee that dwelt in the family with thee that kept daies of fast with thee and went unto the meetings with thee when they shall bee those that shall be with God for ever eternally blessing praising of him and shall point thee out as with the finger before God the Angels and blessed Saints and say Behold this is hee that was an hypocrite that sate under the same word and that did partake of the same means and ordinances as I did Psal 52 7. and yet hee hath lost his soul Loe this is the man that made not God his stay So all they that perish shall stand before men and Angels and bee pointed at by them saying Loe this is the man and loe this is the woman that made not God their strength but did so love their sin as that they would not by any means bee perswaded to part with it but would rather venture the loss of their souls to injoy their sins and fulfil their lust than part with their sins to save their souls The tenth aggravation of the misery of a lost soul is this When they shall see others taken up into the Kingdome of Heaven who were as unlikely to bee saved as themselves and they themselves shut out and eternally lost It may